Plum Crazy
by Nancy LeBrun
Summary: Stephanie's life continues after book 17. Stephanie's life takes a twist and she needs to make some big decisions, but drama is never very far away. Adult content.
1. Chapter 1

**Ola, people. This is a new foray for me in the Janet Evanovich series. Those of you who are familiar with my writing know that I'm the queen of drama, angst, and sex. Comedy is a real stretch for me. So, you can expect all those things in this story. I hope you might like my take on this story.**

PLUM CRAZY

CHAPTER 1- I NEED YOU

I rolled over and opened my eyes. Slurp! I got a face full of tongue. "Bob!" He scooted closer tongue wagging, eyes bright. I pushed him off the bed. Morelli was lying next to me on his back with his eyes closed. I wasn't sure if he was really asleep, or if he was pretending. I saw the edge of his lips twist into a smile. He lifted his arm, and I snuggled into his chest.

"What are your plans for today?" he said as he kissed the top of my head.

"I don't know. I was thinking of getting my car highjacked, my ass shot off, and then I'd blow up half of the Burg just for the hell of it."

"Give me a chance to stock up on my Maalox first."

I hadn't spent much time with Morelli lately, but last night he came over unexpectedly toting a pizza, beer, and Bob. He wormed his way into my bed with sweet talk and fast hands. The party that followed was nothing short of a fiesta.

"I was thinking," he said off the cuff.

"What?" I asked.

"I hate coming home to an empty house."

"Your house is never empty. Bob is always waiting for you."

He turned on his side to face me. "You know what I mean."

"Why don't you spell it out for me?" It sounded like a stupid question, but it really wasn't. Morelli and I had cohabitated before, but I always longed for my freedom and ended up back at my apartment. We'd talked marriage on occasion, but either one or both of us usually recanted citing one issue or another.

"I miss you," he said as he nuzzled my neck.

"You didn't miss me the last seven days. Why now?"

"You know I've been busy on this case. I haven't had the free time to devote to you."

"What about Wednesday night when you were playing pool with the guys?"

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?" he stumbled out an excuse. "I needed to blow off some steam." He paused and continued his thoughts. "I'm not trying to steal your freedom. I just want to come home and know you're there."

"You want me to sit around and wait for you to show up and take care of your dog." That was the way I saw it.

"Forget it." He rolled away and got up.

"Don't be mad. We've been in a good place. We haven't fought in months." I reasoned.

"Exactly! I thought maybe we were in that place."

"What place?"

"The settle down place."

"Let me think about it."

By now, Joe had thrown on a pair of pants and a sweatshirt. He had clothes in my apartment. I think he left things behind on purpose to stake his claim.

"I have to stop home. I'll take Bob. I'll see you later?"

"Sure."

Joe leaned in and kissed me briefly on the lips.

I floated into the office. Connie and Lula looked up from the crossword puzzle they were tag teaming.

"Check her out. She looks like she just jumped off of cloud nine," Lula bellowed.

"I'm still there, and I'm not jumping," I responded.

"Must be Morelli because the Wizard is still out of town," Connie concluded.

I ignored the comment. The Wizard was Ranger, and he had been gone for the better part of two months. My relationship with him was a mystery. It seemed he was available when it suited his purpose, and I was just available. Maybe, too available. What was once a flirtatious relationship had transformed into a full blown tear my clothes off, fuck me now, relationship. The problem was, when it was over, he would once again disappear into the shadows, and I was the one who felt like I had been… I know he cares about me. He's even killed for me. They said it was a suicide, but we all knew better. Abruzzi was scum, and no one would be willing to dig into it to prosecute Ranger.

"Any new FTA's?" I asked.

"Two," Connie said. "One is a real doozy. This guy is a teacher…high school. He had like the perfect life. Good job. Trophy wife. Kid. And then everything goes in the crapper. His wife cheats on him, and they get into it. He loses control and hits her. She has him arrested. She moves out while he's being booked. He goes on a drinking bender and shows up at school drunk. One of his students reports that he smells alcohol on his breath, and the guy gets busted for drunk in public two days before his court date for the domestic violence. He lost his job, and now he's FTA."

"I'm never getting married," I said flatly.

"Good to know."

The voice came from behind me. I spun around and found myself chest to chest with Ranger.

"When did you get back?"

"Just now."

We were caught in each other's gaze.

"You look different," he exclaimed.

Great. He's been gone, and I've been eating like a pig and gained a few pounds. It figures he would be the one to notice. "Have I got jelly on my face?"

He grimaced. "I can't put my finger on it."

He creased his eyebrow and looked at me hard before he finally backed up. He tossed the body receipt on Connie's desk and nodded towards Vinnie's office.

"He in?"

"Yeah."

Ranger crossed the room and disappeared in Vinnie's office. Lula and Connie were staring at me.

"What?" I said in frustration.

Lula raised her eyebrows. "Nothing." She grabbed a file and opened the filing cabinet in an attempt to feign that she was busy. Connie lowered her head.

"So, who's the school teacher guy?"

"Some dude named Mateo DeNunzio."

The name drew an instant memory to my high school years…more important, my prom. "Mattie?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Oh my god! He took me to the prom!"

"Small world," Lula replied. "Did you let him boff you?"

"It was the prom!" I said in my defense.

At that moment, Ranger exited Vinnie's office.

"Hey, Ranger," Lula bellowed. "Did you go to your prom?"

Ranger looked over to me again, still puzzled. He was stone faced as he left the office.

I scrunched down on the couch with the file in my hand. "Mattie—I can't believe it." I rifled through the file. Everything Connie said was in there. No priors. Lived over in Hamilton Township, probably in a beautiful split level ranch in one of the newer developments.

I picked up the other file. Drug dealer. Richard Kaiser, AKA Ricky the Fix—I hated his name. My first husband was named Richard AKA Dickie, and he was definitely a dick. This was Ricky's fifth arrest. He'd been in and out of the system. Known to carry a weapon, although never been arrested for using it. Lived on Stark Street. Not a great neighborhood. His picture surprised me. He was rather nice looking for pond scum.

Lula plopped down beside me. "You want me to go with you to pick up the prom king?"

"No, I'd rather do it alone."

"I'm bored. I want to get out of here. Let's go to Cluck-in-a-Bucket."

If I was getting noticeably fat, the last thing I wanted to do was eat fried chicken and biscuits. "Okay, come on. We'll go check out Ricky the Fix."

"Shoot, Ricky? I know him. He used to be one of my regular customers. He's a minute man."

"A minute man?"

"Yeah, you know. Quick on the draw. I used to let him do me twice for the price of one on a count of he finish up so quick."

"He sounds like a real catch."

"Well, he deals, but he doesn't do the drugs. He's in it for the money."

"He can't be doing so well if he's living on Stark Street."

"Never could figure that out. He seemed to have a good business. His phone was always ringing."

We decided to take Lula's car, since she knew the 'ho's' on the corner would keep a watch on it for her while we were doing business.

Ricky lived in a ramshackle duplex. The front porch was dry rotted, and the third step was broken through. Obviously, someone had stepped down and gone right up to the knee. I did a quick check of my equipment—pepper spray and cuffs tucked into my waist back. Cell phone and stun gun in my purse. I left my gun in the cookie jar, which was new, since my original one had migrated from my apartment to Morelli's apartment the last time I was living with him.

I was back in my own apartment now that it had been fumigated. It seemed we were having a roach problem in the building. I hate bugs, but unfortunately, roaches are a part of life in Trenton. Morelli wasn't thrilled that I went back to my apartment, but he and I had reached an impasse on the marriage thing. I felt that if he couldn't marry a bounty hunter, then he shouldn't be living with one either. We still loved each other, and we couldn't stay away from each other—at least not for more than a few days at a time.

"You take the back," I said to Lula.

"I'm not going back there. There's no back porch."

Apparently, Lula had been privy to running out the back door in the past.

"What if he goes out the back?"

"Believe me, he won't."

"G_et off my porch."_

Lula and I both froze. "Who said that?" Lula questioned.

"_I did. I know who you are, and I'm not going to jail, so get the fuck off my porch."_

I looked up, and in the far corner, a camera was mounted on the ceiling of the porch. A speaker was mounted in the opposite corner.

"Richard Kaiser? My name is Stephanie Plum, and I'm a bond enforcement agent. You missed your court date. I was hoping you might accompany me down to the station, so we can reschedule."

"_Tell you what, you strip down to a thong and suck my dick, and I'll go anywhere you want to go."_

"She ain't no 'ho', you dumb fuck!" Lula bellowed.

"_Well, I guess that will make it even more special. Take off Lula before I put a cap in your fat ass."_

"Who you callin' fat?—Mr. Minute man?"

"_It only took a minute because I wanted to get it over with. Now, Ms. Plum. I could definitely play some baseball with you."_

Before Lula could respond, I cut the conversation short. "I'm not playing baseball with anyone. Are you going to come out or not?"

"_Not."_

"Fine." I turned to Lula. "Come on."

I stormed off the porch and marched back to the car.

"What are we going to do?" Lula asked.

"He's got to come out sooner or later."

"Right, and then I'm gonna shoot him in his bony ass and see how he likes it."

"Nobody is going to shoot anyone. You can spray him, and I'll cuff him."

"Okay, I can do that."

We sat in the car for about a half hour before Lula began to protest.

"I feel weak. I think my blood sugar is dropping. We need to get some supplies if we are going to do this stakeout shit."

"What if we leave and he comes out? I don't want to miss my chance."

"Fine, you hang out, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Tell me you are not going to leave me stranded, are you?"

Lula raised two fingers. "Scout's honor."

"That's the sign for a boy scout, not a girl scout."

"Well, who wants to hang out with a buncha girls anyway?"

"Fine," I conceded. "It shouldn't take you more than twenty minutes, right?"

"Twenty minutes, right." Lula said as she roared off down the street, music blaring.

Now that I was out in the open, it seemed I would either have to walk or hide. I figured walking was probably best. I hiked my purse up onto my shoulder and walked up the block. I had been walking back and forth about ten minutes when a beat up old Honda Accord passed me and pulled into Kaiser's driveway. _Looks like Ricky's got some company. _I continued to walk as if I had someplace to go, but I kept my eyes on the car. The door opened and it was Ricky, I think. He was on the phone, and he moved quickly to the house before I could get close enough to stop him. Even if I could stop him, what was I supposed to do with him? I didn't have any transportation. My curiosity got the best of me. I slinked my way across the street and squatted down behind Ricky's car. I crept to the driver's side and peered inside. I saw a briefcase in the front seat. What kind of drug dealer carries a briefcase? Now that I thought about it, he had a pretty sophisticated security system for a small time drug dealer, too. I snuck in close to the house. I was up against the house under a window. The problem was I wasn't sure where he was in the house. _Shit! Where is Lula when I need her?_ Suddenly, I heard the booming bass, and I knew Lula was approaching. She drove slowly and parked across the street. She looked over at me, and her face transmitted the impending disaster.

In the blink of an eye, there was an arm around my waist and a very large knife pressed to my neck.

"Move, and I will slit your throat."

I stood frozen with fear.

"Ms. Plum, I'm guessing."

I nodded my head ever so gently. He reached for my pepper spray and my cuffs and tossed them about ten feet in front of me. His cologne wafted over me. He actually smelled good. He slid my purse off of my shoulder and tossed that as well. His hand returned to my waist and rested on my stomach.

"Hmmm, you look even better in person. Now, you ready to suck my dick?"

"No." I said trying to be brave.

"Too bad." His hand slid up my torso, and he clutched at my breast. "I'd hate to kill you. There are so many other things I'd rather do to you."

Suddenly, Lula came running across the street with her gun drawn. "Let her go, you maggot!"

He pulled me back a few feet. "Stop right there, or I'll kill her."

I sucked in my breath. Lula stopped.

"Put the gun down and get back in your car, Lula. I'll let your girlfriend go as soon as I finish talking to her."

My eyes were pleading with Lula not to do anything stupid. Lula just stood there.

"I said drop the gun!" he pulled the knife tight to my neck until he drew blood.

Lula gasped and dropped the gun.

"Go back to the car."

I knew he wasn't joking. "Do as he says, Lula," I cried out.

Lula turned and ran in her hot pink wedge platforms across the street and jumped into the driver's seat. She was wearing pink sweatpants with the word 'Princess' plastered across her ass like a billboard in silver sequins. I prayed this wouldn't be the last thing I would see if Ricky had the mind to slit my throat.

"Let me make this perfectly clear to you. I am not going back to jail. I have a business to run. You are in my way. Back off, or I'll take it that you have a thing for me, and I will get me some sugar Plum." He kissed my neck and then he licked me. "Mmmm, you taste good."

_Ew! Yuck!_

He dragged me towards the car with his hand tightly holding onto my breast. "Get in," he ordered.

"Why? You said you would let me go!"

"I don't know if Lula has another gun in the car, and I don't want that fat piece of shit shooting at me. I'll let you out when I think it's safe."

Ricky opened the driver's side door. "You count to a hundred before you try to follow me or she dies," he called out to Lula. I slid into the car from the driver's side. Ricky still had the knife pressed to my neck. He started the car and swung the car out of the driveway with one hand on the wheel. He put the petal to the metal as we hauled ass down the street. My heart was slamming in my chest. He drove about a mile and as we approached Route 1, he pulled to the side of the road. He placed his lips over mine tasting me with his tongue. "Get out, Stephanie Plum." He pulled the knife away from my neck, and I bolted out the passenger side door. I fell to the ground and used my legs to push myself away from the car.

The door slammed shut, and the car roared away down the on-ramp. I sat back on my hands trying to catch my breath. I was hyperventilating. I tried to wipe my lips, but it was too late. I was contaminated with Ricky the Fix slobber. I felt nauseous. I wanted to throw up. I would have put my head between my legs, but I knew I needed to get off the side of the road. I sucked it up and began to walk swiftly towards the nearest intersection in the hopes I might pass a business that I could duck into and possibly use a phone.

Suddenly, the sound of a siren blipped a quick warning that he was behind me. I swung around and saw Carl Costanza rolling up beside me. He came to a stop and immediately he and Big Dog bolted from the car.

"Stephanie, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I didn't want them to know what had just happened.

"Lula called the station and said you had been abducted by Ricky Kaiser. She was freaking out. The whole station is out looking for you."

"Well, you found me, and I wasn't abducted. He just wanted to talk to me," I shot back.

"Your neck is bleeding," he pointed out.

"I'll live."

"Do you want to press charges?"

"No. Can you just take me back to Vinnie's?"

"Sure, Steph. Get in." He opened the back door, and I slid into the back seat. Carl pulled the mike and reported that I had been found, and it was all a mistake. He let them know that I was being returned to the bond office. As we pulled up, I could see that Morelli was already there, leaning against his unmarked car with his arms folding tightly across his chest.

As soon as we pulled up to the curb, Lula came running out of the office.

"Oh my god, white girl, I thought that son-of-a-bitch was gonna cut you in two! I woulda shot him, but I didn't want to hit you." She flung her arms around me. I was being squished by a full figured woman dressed like a pink Mylar birthday balloon, and smelling like fried chicken.

"I'm fine. He just didn't want you to follow me," I squeaked.

Morelli stepped forward in Lula's line of vision. "Uh oh," she sputtered. "I got a bunch of filing to catch up on." With that she rolled away and hightailed it into the office.

Morelli stepped into my immediate space. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Call me."

"Sure."

He kissed the top of my head and took off. Joe Morelli always shut down on me whenever I got hurt. He hated the fact that I was a bounty hunter. If he'd had his druthers, I'd be like my mother—cooking, cleaning, ironing, and raising the children. There were moments when I considered motherhood, especially when I when I was around my niece, Lisa—but those moments were short lived.

I considered going into the office, but I was exhausted. Instead, I hopped into my latest acquisition, a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Samuel Kingston down at Kingston's Used Cars had given me a sweet deal on it. It reminded me of a shark because the doors were reminiscent of gills. It was forest green, and I'd had it for a whole four months. I was hoping this one might defy the Stephanie curse of destruction.

I pulled into the parking lot. It was still early, so I managed to snag a space close to the door. As I approached the elevator, Mrs. Bestler, waved me forward. "You're home early. My! You have blood on your shirt!"

"Yeah, I got cut shaving."

"You need to get yourself an electric razor. They can be found on the second floor with home appliances."

"Good, take me to the second floor."

I stepped into my apartment and tossed the keys and my bag of magic tricks on the hall table. Rex peeked out of his soup can, blinked, and scurried back inside.

I walked immediately to the bedroom and stripped off my clothes. All I wanted to do was wash the smell of Ricky off of me, even if he did smell good. I stood in the shower for a good ten minutes. I wrapped myself in a towel and plopped on the bed. I fell asleep in minutes.

When I woke it was dark, and I immediately felt a presence in my bed. The scent was unmistakable.

"Late night?"

It was Ranger. He was sitting propped up against the headboard, legs extended, with his ankles crossed.

"Something like that."

"I knocked, just so you know."

I smiled. "Did you miss me?"

"I'm not the one wrapped in a towel for easy access." He reached across the bed and opened the towel. My body warmed to his touch.

"You expecting Morelli?"

"What if I said yes?"

He ran his finger along the swell of my breast. "I need you."

Ranger wasn't one to voice his needs, so the fact that he did was a cause for concern.

"Are you all right?"

"Rough trip."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. His soft, full lips made me melt into the bed. I lifted his shirt and ran my hands across his rippled abdomen. He moved to my neck and grazed his lips softly under my jaw line.

"You never answered my question," I whispered.

"Yes, I missed you."

I tugged on his shirt, and he helped me to pull it over his head. I immediately noticed his arm was wrapped in a bandage. I sucked in my breath.

"What happened to you?"

"I told you it was a rough trip."

At that moment, I felt a little queasy at the thought of Ranger having a rough trip. I could only assume it must have been a near death experience, and the fact that he seemed down was a definite indication that he wasn't upset over himself. I wanted to question him, but right now, he needed me, and I didn't want to disappoint him.

Ranger slid off the bed and undressed. He crawled over the top of me and began to kiss my belly. I hadn't eaten since this morning, and my stomach let out a low growl. He stopped and glanced up at me. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving."

"I'll take you out for dinner later."

He went back to snacking on me, and I laid back and enjoyed it. His scent wafted over me like aromatherapy. He slowly slid lower and parted my legs with his knee. He kissed my thighs, and the soft hair that led to my womanly place. As soon as his tongue touched me, I let out a soft coo. My knees bent, and my feet landed on his shoulders. He was in control. I bit my lip in an effort to prolong the intense pleasure I was feeling. I didn't want to climax, but my body betrayed me, and I couldn't help but push on his shoulders until my legs were straight, and Ranger sat up.

His lips fought the smile he was trying to contain. He lay on top of me, and then rolled over so I was on top. "Get on, babe," he said in a soft voice.

His cock was standing at the ready like a soldier saluting his superior. I mounted him slowly and guided him into me. It was a tight fit, and Ranger closed his eyes as he eased his shaft deeper inside of me. I could almost feel the stress and tension in his body melt with each stroke.

"Babe."

He reached up and grabbed a hold of the headboard giving me all the power. I took it. I reveled in it. I knew that the moments that Ranger gave up his control were few and far between. I was sweating and oddly enough, so was he. I could only assume that like me, he was trying to prolong the inevitable. I was at a point where I was squeezing my muscles together as I enjoyed the hell out of him. Finally, he reached for my hips and drove it home. He pulled me down hard and wouldn't let me up. He let out a guttural cry that surprised me. He grabbed me by the hair, pulled my face towards his, and kissed me passionately.

"Thank you, Babe."

I giggled. I felt giddy. I rolled off of him and headed straight for the bathroom. I felt re-animated. I bounced on the bed and snuggled into his chest.

Ranger wrapped himself around me and kissed me gently.

"Still hungry?"

"Famished."

I climbed into Ranger's Porsche Turbo. He was quiet which was not unusual for him. What _was_ unusual was he reached over and punched the 'CD' button on his console, and salsa music filled the inside of the car. Ranger had never played music in his vehicles before. He seemed distracted. His beeper went off. He pulled it from his visor, checked it, and then put it back.

"Trouble?" I said in hopes to get him to talk.

"Just Hal checking in."

"Oh."

Silence again. Ranger headed to Hamilton Township and pulled up to a small restaurant nestled on the corner of a quiet street. The neon sign said Segovia's. He pulled around to the back of the restaurant and parked near the back door. He reached over, opened his glove compartment, and retrieved a key. He nodded to me.

"Babe."

I exited the truck and followed him to the back door. He unlocked it and entered the kitchen.

An employee looked up from his station deveining shrimp. "Carlos! You're back!"

He grabbed my hand. "This is Stephanie." He looked to me. "Steph, this is Eugene."

Eugene wiped his fishy hands on his apron and extended his hand to me. "Nice to meet you. Any friend of Carlos is a friend of mine."

"Thank you," I replied.

"Did you make paella tonight?"

"When do I not make paella?"

"We'll take two orders and a bottle of Garnacha Blanca."

"Right away."

Ranger led the way into the restaurant. It was dark, and the subtle ambience was inviting. It was a jewel hidden away in a neighborhood. Ranger held out a chair for me and then slid into a seat with his back against the wall. He still seemed distracted.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He flashed a hint of a smile but said nothing.

"Do you plan on talking to me, or are you going to sit in silence all night?"

"There's nothing to say."

"I get the feeling there is. You said it was a rough trip. What happened?"

"I got shot."

"You've been shot before. This is something else."

"Babe."

"Don't 'babe' me. I want to know what happened."

"Later."

The waiter approached the table with an ice bucket containing a bottle of wine. He opened it and poured a glass for each of us. Ranger raised his glass. "Vivir es terrible y luego solo la muerte nos espera."

"What does that mean? I asked.

He paused a few beats. "To life."

I thought that was an awful lot of words. I raised my glass tentatively and repeated his words. "To life."

He took a long pull finishing half the glass before he sat back against the wall. It looked as though he was drained. I hated seeing Ranger like this. The last time he looked like this was when his daughter had been kidnapped by a psycho, and he took the blame on himself. He also took three bullets to the chest, one to the shoulder, and one to the neck. I shuddered at the memory of seeing him shot at close range.

"Babe, are you cold?"

"No, I'm just worried."

"Worried about what?"

"You."

"Don't be."

"You know, you can't come into my home, seduce me, take me out to dinner, and then tell me that I'm not allowed to worry about you. It doesn't work that way."

"I'm not the one who died, okay?"

"Someone died?"

"Yes."

"Not Tank!"

"No."

"Who?"

"My cousin, Eduardo. He worked for me in Miami. It's my fault. I shouldn't have taken him with me."

"I'm sorry."

The waiter arrived with our dinner. He set it on the table, asked if there was anything else we needed, and went on his way. We ate in silence. I didn't like that Ranger blamed himself for his cousin's death. I tried to reason with him.

"You've taken me with you. If I died, would you put the blame on yourself?"

"I try never to put you in direct danger. When I take you with me, it's always because I am trying to protect you."

"Great, so you don't need me at all."

He reached out and took my hand. "I need you, tonight."

"As your concubine."

He was silent. Suddenly, his phone chirped. He answered it immediately.

"Yo."…"Where?"…"Pick me up at Segovia's." He hung up.

"I have to go. You take my Porsche back to your place. I'll talk to you later."

"Talk or screw?" I was angry that he only needed me for sex.

His eyes held mine for a few beats before he took two more bites, and then he signaled for the waiter.

"Box these up, please," he instructed the waiter.

His gaze fell upon me again. He wiped his lips with his napkin. "We'll discuss this later." With that, he got up, dropped his keys on the table, kissed the top of my head, and left.

The one thing I hated most about Ranger was his inability to have a good fight. I could always count on Morelli for a good blowup. With Ranger, it was like fighting with yourself.

The waiter brought the boxed food to me.

"How much do I owe you?' I asked since Ranger hadn't paid the bill before he left.

He smiled pleasantly. "Nothing. RangeMan has an account with us."


	2. Chapter 2

**I guess I'm the girl who bucks the system by having a story with Morelli. Just so you all know, Ranger will be a huge part of this story as well. I am hoping to write a quality story that will keep you coming back, and as always I look forward to your comments.**

C-R-A-S-H

"Joe, move over," I grumbled.

"Babe."

_Shit! _I had just called Ranger 'Joe'. I rolled over to face him. "Ranger, I didn't know…"

"I told you I needed you." He brushed his fingers through my hair.

"Again?"

"Still."

Oh boy.

Ranger leaned in to kiss me.

"Wait!"

"What now?"

I backed away from him and out of the bed.

He fell forward, his fist hammering into my pillow. "Is this about the 'concubine' remark?"

"No, I just want to brush my teeth. I've been sleeping for…what time is it anyway?"

"Three."

"Three? I've been asleep for two and a half hours. My breath is icky."

"Stephanie, if you want me to leave, just say so."

I really didn't want him to leave, but the fact that I called him Joe had me feeling guilty. See, the thing is Joe and I are a couple—sort of. We have an open relationship, at least in my mind. I'm not so sure he's on the same page. The truth is, if he _was_ on the same page, and he was sleeping with someone else—I don't even want to think about it.

"Babe, do you want me to go?"

"No. I just hate it that you blow into town and immediately look to me for your satisfaction."

"What are you getting at?"

I crawled back into the bed and pulled the covers over me. "I don't know. I'm confused."

"Babe." He brushed his lips across my neck. "Let me make things perfectly clear for you."

His lips moved from my neck to my lips, and I was a goner. I was wearing a cotton nightgown. He reached down and began to tug it up towards my waist.

"Do you want me to take it off?" I asked in a seductive voice.

"More than you know."

I sat up and pulled the nightgown over my head. Ranger helped get it off of me and threw it on the floor. He had nothing to take off because he was already naked in the bed.

He pushed me back on the bed and closed his lips slowly over mine again and again as he used his free hand to caress my body. I reached down and was pleasantly surprised to find that Ranger was ready for action. I curled towards him and stroked his erection. He slid his hand from my breast to between my legs and he systematically used his middle finger in a circular motion right in the spot that made me coo. He kissed my collarbone and my shoulders while he did this, and my body was tingling with excitement. I wanted him to penetrate me, but he wouldn't. He very patiently continued with the circular motion. I began to gyrate my hips trying to goad him to push his finger into me. I wanted him. Suddenly, the sweet sensation of orgasm raced from my g-spot to my spine and right to my breasts. I let out a long moan. He stopped kissing me. He was smiling.

"Now it's my turn." He climbed aboard and plunged himself into me. The muscles in his arms were taught as he held himself above me. Eventually, he pulled my legs to his neck, and at that moment, I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head. The rhythm increased, and so did the intensity in which he drove his engorged penis into me. Finally, I felt him explode. He was holding his breath, and he let it all out in one great masculine growl. His arms went weak for a few seconds, and he collapsed on me.

"He fucking died." Ranger buried his head in my neck. His breathing was rigid.

I don't think I'd ever heard Ranger curse before. In my mind, I figured it was his substitute for tears. I didn't know what to do, so I just held him.

A few minutes went by, and Ranger rolled to his back. He pulled me into his chest.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad I was here when you needed me for a change. You've helped me more times than I can count."

It wasn't long before Ranger was asleep. His breathing was steady and his body was relaxed. I wanted to sleep, but now I was wide awake. I was thinking about the two men in my life. For some odd reason, it seemed the heat was being turned up in both relationships. First, Morelli throws a not so subtle hint that he wants me to move back in with him. Tempting, but it wasn't exactly a proposal for marriage. And even if it was, did I want to marry Morelli? Of course, I did. I just wasn't so sure I wanted to marry him right now. Stephanie Morelli. It had a nice ring to it.

Ranger rolled in my direction. I rolled away from him and he spooned me.

"Steph?"

I didn't say anything. I wanted him to think I was asleep. He wrapped his arm gently around my waist and buried his face in my hair.

How can I even think about marrying Morelli with Ranger in my bed? This relationship was changing, too. It began as a flirtation with sparks flying like those from a blacksmith hammer. Then, he decided I owed him for services rendered, and he took me. At first, I was a semi-willing participant. That changed very quickly. Then my guilt kept him at arms reach for a long time. It was Morelli's grandmother's 'vordo' that got me back into Rangers bed—and car. How crazy was that? And now—he said he needed me. Where the hell was this going? And did I even want it to go there? Stephanie Manoso. _Oh my God! Stephanie, don't even think it! _

Suddenly, I felt nauseous. I was actually making myself sick at the thought that I might have to choose one over the other. The sad part was I knew who I would choose, and I couldn't bear breaking the other's heart. I couldn't bear breaking my own heart.

I slipped out of the bed and crept into the kitchen. My nerves were on edge. I pulled a beer from the fridge and twisted the cap off. I took a swig. Bad idea. The beer went down and came right back up. I yakked in the kitchen sink. I sat in the chair at the table and put my head between my knees. _Just be happy_, I kept telling myself. I took a few deep breaths and went back to bed.

I woke to Ranger sitting quietly on the edge of the bed pulling on his running shoes.

"What time is it?"

"It's early. You go back to sleep."

I reached out and placed my hand on his thigh.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?"

He took my hand, kissed it gently, and stood up. "Break it off with Morelli." Before I could even process what he had said he was out of the room.

"What does that mean?"

I jumped from the bed and ran to the living room just as Ranger was opening the front the door.

"Ranger, what is that supposed to mean?"

He smiled at me. "Call me Carlos."

And he was gone.

I couldn't breath. _Break up with Morelli?_ _No. I couldn't! I wouldn't!_ _Shit! _I was shaking. At that moment my phone was rang.

"Hello?"

"What is going on with you and Morelli?" It was Connie.

"What are you taking about?

"He just came by the bonds office. He dropped a box filled with your shit. There's a cookie jar and clothes and a few CD's."

"I don't know. I haven't even seen him since yesterday. Everything was fine."

"Well, he looked pretty pissed off. Maybe you should call him."

She disconnected.

I dialed Morelli immediately.

"What do you want Steph? I'm busy."

"I want to know why a box with my stuff was delivered to the bonds office."

"Well, let's see, I stopped by last night. I brought dinner, but I saw you already had company. I figured you were busy. I came back at midnight. Your company was still there, and lo and behold, he was still there this morning."

"You said we could see other people," I blurted out in my defense.

"I never said that. _You_ did. And I asked you not to see him. Good-bye Stephanie."

"Joe."

He disconnected.

"JOE!"

My legs collapsed out from under me. I saw black spots in front of my eyes. In all the fights and breakups we had in the past, it was never like this. It was more like we were taking a break. This was so—final. Suddenly, the bile rose up in my throat, and I was scrambling to get to the sink before I puked all over the floor. There wasn't a whole lot left to barf up. It was mostly acid. I couldn't face this day. I went back to bed and cried.

A half hour later, my phone rang. I looked at the phone. It was Lula. I didn't want to talk to Lula. I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to sleep.

Another half hour passed, and someone was banging on my door. Then I heard the key in the lock. _Morelli! _My heart began to jump in my chest.

"Stephanie! Woman! Get your butt out here!"

Before I knew it she was in my room, standing before me with her hands on her hips.

"I'm not going to work today. I'm sick."

"Like hell you are. All you need is a couple of donuts."

"Morelli found out about Ranger, and he dumped me." A tear slid down my cheek.

"And? Ain't no guy worth spending your life crying over. Believe me. When Tank dumped me, I just moved on. You already got yourself another man. What's the problem?"

"I love Morelli," I croaked.

Lula rocked back on the four inch pink Jimmy Choo knock offs. "Fuckin' A. I have never heard you say that."

I lay back in the bed and pulled the covers over of my head.

"He's just pissed. He'll get over it. It's not like you're married or even engaged. Besides it's lunch time. I'm starvin'. I'd like to go to Cluck-in-a Bucket, but for you, I'll settle for Pino's. Maybe the Italian stallion will show up there, and you can talk."

"I'm not hungry."

"Come on. Vinnie told me if I can't get you to come to work, he was going to come and get you himself."

I did not want Vinnie in my apartment. The last time he set foot inside, he ended up in my underwear. "Okay, okay!"

Lula looked over on the nightstand. "Nice watch."

It was Ranger's. He never left anything behind. It was a sign. _Shit! _By now, Ranger probably had already heard about the breakup. News like this travels the Berg fast. I got dressed in my usual jeans, tennis shoes, and stretchy T-shirt. By the time we got out the door, my phone rang. It was my mother.

"Hello?"

"You and Joseph broke up for good?"

I sucked in air. I didn't know how to answer that. Every over time we broke up, my mother wasn't really even aware except the time Joyce Barnhardt decided to make a hard core sell by bringing him casseroles and other assorted goodies which thankfully, he never accepted. I got the feeling he'd probably accept them now. Or worse, Terry Gilman.

"I don't know, Mom. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why don't you come home for dinner? I'll make your favorite, pineapple upside-down cake."

"I'm not really hungry."

"Well, I'm here if you need me," she said sincerely.

"Thanks, Mom."

No sooner had I hung up when my phone rang again. It was Ranger.

"Hello?"

"I didn't think you'd move _that_ fast."

"I didn't break up with him. He broke up with me," I said sullenly.

"Even better."

Once again, I didn't know what to say. I loved Ranger, but Morelli was built for me. I couldn't spend the rest of my life with a guy who didn't talk, had a ton of secrets, and would keep a tail on me every minute of every day. I was able to be with Ranger because Morelli trusted me. Ranger once told me that he would not be so understanding if I came home without underwear.

"Babe?"

"I have to go." I hung up.

Lula drove me to Pino's. I have to admit, for Lula, this was a big sacrifice considering how she hated cops. We ordered a pizza. I ate a slice. Lula ate the rest. Morelli never showed, but I got a few intense stares from some of the other local constables. I had no way of knowing if Morelli was being told of my whereabouts, so he could avoid me, or if he told his cop friends that he just didn't want to hear anything at all about me.

After lunch, we headed back to the bonds office. Vinnie was in his office with the door closed. Connie was busy filing her nails.

"You don't look too hot."

"I don't feel so hot."

"I don't know what you're all upset about. You and Morelli broke up lots of times, and you always get back together," Lula declared.

"We never broke up because of cheating before."

Connie leaned forward in her chair. "He cheated on you?"

I changed the subject. "Any new FTA's?"

"No, but you can still go pick up your prom date."

"Yeah! Maybe he can help you get your mind off of Morelli!" Lula chimed in. I'll even go with you.

"No, thanks, I'd rather do this alone."

"You don't have your car remember? I'll go with you."

"No, I don't want you to go with me!" I bellowed.

"Geesh! You don't have to get all bent out of shape about it."

"Just take me to my car."

"You're not gonna go climb back in your bed are you? 'Cause Vinnie wants this guy. He thinks he might be a flight risk since he has no reason to stay here. His parents moved to Florida," Connie exclaimed.

"What about his kids?"

"His kids go to middle school. They'll be going to the high school he taught at. You think they want to have anything to do with their wife beating, alcoholic father?"

"Good point."

Lula drove me to my car. I got into the shark-mobile and drove directly to Morelli's house. His green SUV wasn't there. I didn't think it would be. I drove blindly to Hamilton Township and found Mateo's house. It was just as I had suspected. He lived in a nice two story home with a well manicured lawn and a two car garage. The file listed him as driving a Toyota Corolla, and it was parked in the driveway. It looked like he was home. I didn't think I would need anything to subdue him. I tucked the cuffs in the back of my pants and pepper spray in my back pocket just in case. I slipped my cell phone in my front pocket.

The sun was out, but it was still chilly due to the light wind coming from the east. I zipped up the light jacket I was wearing. I stepped up to the door and rang the doorbell. I stepped back and waited. I was nervous about seeing him again. It had been a long time. After a minute, I rang the doorbell again. Still no answer. Maybe the doorbell didn't work. I knocked. After another minute, I decided to look in the window. I stepped over the bricks that were pressed neatly at angles into the dirt separating grass from garden and made my way gingerly between the chrysanthemums to the window. No sooner had I peered into the living room when the horror of what I was seeing hit me. He had hung himself. He was hanging from the ceiling fan, and his feet were flailing less than a foot from the floor. The chair he had stood on had been kicked away when he took the plunge, and I could see that he was desperately trying to find it with his feet.

I needed to act fast before he passed out. I knew I only had a minute. Two at best. I reached down, ripped one of the bricks from dirt, and plunged it through the window. I pulled my jacket off of me as quickly as I could, wrapped it around my arm, and punched out the rest of the window, so I could crawl through.

"Hold on, Mattie. I'm coming!"

There were still shards of glass, but there was no time. I pulled myself up on the window, and I felt the stabbing pain in my abdomen just below my breast as I dragged myself across the jagged window pane. I fell into the floor. I looked down, and my shirt was covered with blood from the flesh wound I had suffered in my haste. I jumped to my feet. Mattie's feet weren't flailing very much anymore.

I rushed to him and wrapped my arms around him from behind and lifted him, so the rope around his neck could be loosened.

"Come on Mattie. Don't die on me." In truth, I would get the money for delivery dead or alive, but I couldn't take knowing that I could have saved him if I had arrived even a few minutes earlier.

I planted my feet firmly and released one of my arms to pull the phone from my pocket. I considered calling 911, but at this moment I couldn't even remember the address. I pushed contacts. Thankfully, the bond office was at the top. I hit send.

Connie answered.

"Vincent Plum Bail Bonds," Connie said in a professional voice.

"Connie! Call 911!"

"Stephanie? Where are you?"

"I'm at Mattie's house. He tried to hang himself. I'm holding him up. If I let go, he'll die!"

At that moment, Mattie regained consciousness, and he began to kick trying to use me as support. I dropped the phone because I needed my other arm to steady him. He grabbed the blades to the ceiling fan and tried to pull himself higher in an effort to kneel on my shoulders. Although Mattie wasn't overweight, he still had fifty pounds on me and lord knows I am not the strongest person. I heard a creaking sound and then a loud snap. The ceiling fan and Mattie all came crashing down on top of me, and that was the last thing I remember.

I opened my eyes to the paramedic. I was on a gurney with a neck collar, and they were wheeling me towards the ambulance.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"

"St. Francis."

"No! I don't want to go to the hospital!" I lamented.

"Miss, you were unconscious for at least ten minutes, and you have a nasty gash that needs stitches."

Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, there was a familiar figure.

"Babe," he said as he took my hand in his.

"Ranger, where's Morelli? Is he here?" I said, desperation in my voice.

"He's here. He's staying out of the way."

Connie and Lula came barreling towards me.

"Stephanie, you gave us a heart attack! I didn't know what to expect when the phone went dead!" Lula bellowed.

"Excuse me. I need to get this patient into the ambulance," the paramedic said in a stern voice.

"Where are you taking her?" Connie asked.

"St. Francis."

Ranger was gone. I wasn't sure if he was heading to the hospital or back to work. I could hardly think with all the commotion going on around me. Everything seemed to be a blur. As they wheeled me to the ambulance, I caught a glimpse of Morelli standing at the edge of the crowd that had formed.

"Joe!" I called out. I tried to get off the bed, but I was strapped down. "Please! I need to see that cop over there!"

They pushed the gurney into the ambulance, and I started to cry.

A moment later Morelli was with me.

He took my hand in his.

"I'm sorry, Joe. I love you. Please don't hate me."

His face was hard and yet vulnerable all at the same time. I could tell he was trying to keep it together. "I'll always love you, Steph." He brushed my hair back off of my face. "I just can't share you." He kissed my forehead. "You take care."

In the blink of an eye, he was gone. My heart was broken. At the moment, I understood Mattie's motivation for hanging himself. Mattie…

"The guy who hung himself—is he?"

"No, he'll be all right. He had good strong neck muscles. You're in worse shape than he is."

As soon as we reached the hospital, everything was a whirlwind. Between everything that had happened to me physically and the emotional pain I felt at losing Morelli, I felt sick to my stomach. They wheeled me into a room, and I announced that I felt like I was going to vomit. I started to convulse, and a nurse quickly grabbed a plastic basin and lifted me to a sitting position. My pizza came up.

"I'm sorry," I said ruefully.

"It's okay. I've seen a lot worse. I least you threw up in the bowl," she said in a sweet voice.

She handed me a cup of water and a paper towel. "You feel better now?"

"Uh huh."

"The doctor will be here shortly, I need to get a medical history on you if I can. Do you have insurance?"

"No, but I was working at the time. I work for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds."

She smiled. "I know who you are. I recognized your face from the bus."

_Jesus! Was I ever going to live that down?_

She pulled out a sheet and began asking me questions.

"Do you have asthma?"

"No."

"Do you have any heart problems?"

That was a loaded question if I ever heard one. "No."

About halfway through the page, she asked, "Have you ever been pregnant?"

"No."

"When was your last cycle?"

I had to think. This was the second week of October. I don't remember having it at all in September.

"I'm not sure. I had it in August, but then I lost my pills, and I had it again two weeks later. My cycle got screwed up."

"So, you had your period six weeks ago?"

"Probably closer to eight."

"And is this the first time you've thrown up?"

I knew where she was going with this. "Um…" I didn't even want to admit it to myself. "I threw up twice yesterday, but I've got a lot of stress right now. My boyfriend broke up with me and…" I started to cry again.

"It's okay. We are just going to do a little blood test. We can't do an x-ray until we are sure."

I wiped the tears from my eyes. I've been shot, shot at, firebombed, bound and gagged, nearly raped, even put into a coffin, and I've always held it together. Now, I was falling apart. It would be just my luck to be pregnant now, when Morelli had finally given up on me.

An hour later, the doctor entered the room. He held out his hand to greet me.

"I'm Doctor Brewer. I'm the attending assigned to your case. I've been looking over your history, and I see that they have done a pregnancy test on you."

At that moment my world fell apart.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I'm sitting here staring at a book—a beautiful book. I feel absolutely giddy. It's called**

**FOR THE LOVE OF BRYNN**

**Book 1 – Love Comes Easy**

**If you are interested in finding out how you can purchase the book, feel free to send me a personal e-mail. OR you can read the first chapter on my bio on Facebook. Look me up; I am listed under Nancy Bickford LeBrun.**

**In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying my Fan Fic stories!**

BIG DECISIONS

The next morning, my mother picked me up from the hospital. Grandma Mazur was battling a head cold, and my mother made her stay at home. Lula, Connie, and even Vinnie had come to visit me. Ranger sent Tank with a bouquet of flowers. Tank said Ranger had flown out shortly after I saw him and wouldn't be back for a while. I wondered how much of it was true. I didn't doubt that he had flown out, but the fact that I had dismissed him and asked about Morelli surely must have had an impact. Morelli didn't come to see me at all. I told no one about my pregnancy. I needed time to think.

My mother insisted that I stay at the house for at least a few days, just in case. The doctor said I had a pretty good concussion, and he didn't think I should be staying alone. We stopped at the apartment, so I could get some clothes and Rex. There was a box in front of my door, and a note shoved between the door and the door jam.

The note read:

_Steph,_

_I found this in the bathroom. I thought you might want it. I would have put it in your apartment, but I don't have the key anymore. I put it in the box I gave to Connie. I hope you are feeling better._

_Joe_

I opened the box and inside it was my blow dryer. Joe had bought it for me for Christmas, so I wouldn't have to lug mine back and forth. My breathing hitched, and the tears came easily. I immediately thought of my sister, Valerie, and the emotional mess she was when she was pregnant.

"Stephanie, are you all right?"

"I miss him, Mom."

"Oh, honey." She wrapped her arms around me, and I sobbed. I hadn't cried in my mother's arms since I caught my piece of shit ex-husband pants down on the kitchen table sticking it to that slut, Joyce Barnhardt.

Grandma Mazur was standing at the back door waiting for us. She had a box of tissues in her hand. I thought they were for me until she sneezed and blew her nose.

"Come on in. I was going to make brownies, but your mother said I wasn't allowed in the kitchen until my nose stopped running. We can play 'Porno Boggle'."

My father wasn't home, and my mother was stuck playing nursemaid to a sick mother and a broken hearted daughter.

"Valerie wanted to be here, but I told her that I didn't want the kids to get sick," my mother exclaimed.

Hooray for small favors. I loved my sister and her kids, but whenever they arrived at the house, it was mayhem. Right now, I needed peace and quiet.

There was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." I was hoping it might be Morelli.

I opened the door, and Lula burst in like gangbusters wearing a white nurse's uniform. It barely covered her ass. She was wearing a pink wig and an old fashioned nurse's cap. I could only assume it came from her 'ho' collection of outfits.

"I'm here to take care of you, baby girl! How do you like my uniform? Isn't it precious?"

"I like the pink hair," Granma Mazur remarked. "It gives the whole thing color."

"I'm in my pink phase. I have to wear something pink every day. I have pink panties on, too. They're real cute. You wanna see?"

"NO!" I shouted.

Lula stayed for dinner and after she had gone, I borrowed the Buick that belonged to my Uncle Sandor and was willed to Grandma Mazur. She lent it to me upon request. I couldn't keep the pregnancy a secret forever, and Morelli deserved to at least know about it before I told anyone else. I knew that no matter who I told, it would spread like wildfire, and Morelli would find out anyway. The truth was I wanted to see him. I wanted to touch him and hear his voice. I'd even be willing to let him yell at me. At least, I would know he cared.

I pulled up to the house. He wasn't home. I decided to wait. I sat in the Buick for about fifteen minutes, and then I got out and sat on the front steps. I had been waiting about a half hour when he pulled up to the curb behind the Buick. He took his time getting out of the car. I figured he was weighing his options.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. I didn't know if I should stand up or remain sitting. I thought if I stood up, I might fall down or worse—throw up.

"Stephanie, what are you doing here?"

"I missed you."

"Yeah, I heard your boyfriend is out of town."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"That's not the word on the street."

"Joe, I don't want to talk about Ranger. I want to talk about us."

"There is no us, Stephanie." He walked past me, shoved the key in the lock, and opened the door. He rushed inside before Bob could barrel out of the house, but before he shut the door, I yelled it out. "I'm pregnant."

A moment later, the door opened, and Bob came bounding out the door. He literally ran me over, and I was knocked off the step. Morelli rushed down the stairs, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me to my feet.

"How can you be pregnant? You're on the pill." His eyes bore into me.

"Remember when I had to wrestle that FTA in the park a few months ago, and we both ended up in the lake?"

He creased his eyebrows. "Yeah."

"I had my purse with me, and everything fell out. My pills were in that purse. I never found them. It took me a week to get more pills, and then I had my period. I wasn't on anything for two weeks."

"Whose baby is it?"

"It's yours."

"Are you lying to me?"

"No, of course not," I said sincerely.

"So, you're saying you never slept with Ranger until after you were pregnant?"

"Uh huh." I bit my lip.

"Jesus, Stephanie. How long have you been fucking him?"

"What does it matter? The baby is not his."

"When was the first time you slept with him?"

This was it. It was my chance to finally lay it all on the table. I had lost him anyway. If I was ever to have a fresh start, I would have to tell him the truth.

I clasped my hands together and scratch the inside of my palm with my thumb. I was trying to pull the words from my mouth.

"Three years ago."

His face went from one of anger to absolute shock. "Get off my property before I have you arrested for trespassing."

"Joseph, please! Let me explain!"

"BOB!" he screamed.

Bob stopped sniffing the neighbor's bushes, lifted his leg, urinated quickly, and galloped back towards the house.

He marched up the steps and slammed the door in my face.

Well that didn't go well at all. I schlepped to the car and crawled in. I put the key in the ignition, but I couldn't turn the key. I couldn't leave.

My eyes again pooled with tears. "Pregnancy sucks!" I said out loud. I sat in the car and cried. Minutes later, Joyce Barnhardt pulled up in her shiny new Lexus SUV courtesy of husband number three. I felt the rage rise up through my body like a thermometer. She got out of the car and headed to the house. She was wearing a scarlet red dress and four inch heels. She was dressed to kill—I just wanted to kill her.

She knocked on the door, and Morelli came out. He held his elbow out, and she took it. They began to walk towards her SUV when all sanity left me. I jumped out of the car.

I confronted her. "Where do you think you're going with him?"

She rotated her head on her scrawny neck and waved a finger at me. "Anywhere he wants to go."

My eyes went black, and I attacked. I slammed into her, and she fell backwards into the grass. I fell on top of her. We rolled around swinging and screaming at each other. "Whore!" I screamed.

"Ugly bitch!" she screamed back.

Next thing I knew, Morelli had snatched me up from the ground. I was still kicking and flailing. I wanted to gauge her eyes out. "Stop it!" he ordered. He had his arms wrapped around me. "STOP IT, STEPHANIE!"

Joyce reached into her purse and pulled out a stun gun. She got to her feet and came at me. Morelli turned with his back to Joyce in a protective maneuver. "Do it and I'll have you arrested," he warned.

"She attacked me first!" she growled.

"Do you want to press charges?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"Fine, I'll arrest her."

I gasped. "What? You can't be serious? You would arrest the mother of your child?"

Joyce whipped around. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're pregnant?"

Great, I just told the fastest mouth in the Burg that I was pregnant. I didn't answer her.

"Yeah, she's pregnant," Morelli answered.

"You two deserve each other," she huffed. Joyce smoothed her dress and sauntered towards her SUV.

"You gonna press charges or not?" Morelli asked.

"No. Consider it a gift," she called out as she opened the door."

Joyce laid rubber as she pulled away. Morelli was still holding onto me. I had my hands wrapped tightly around his forearm. He tried to release me. I grabbed his hands and pulled them to my belly. I could feel his breath on my neck. A warm feeling rushed through my body.

"It's a little Morelli. I swear to you."

He was silent for a few beats. Then he released me.

"How can you be so sure?" he said quietly, his voice calm.

"Are you going to listen to me?"

"Talk."

"You promise not to yell?"

"Forget it. I'm not making any promises."

"Okay, okay! Just—just—sit."

"I don't want to sit. I want to hear about this relationship you've been having all this time with Ranger behind my back." He folded his arms across his chest.

"The first time was three years ago. He had done a lot of favors for me, and he said I owed him. I objected, but not very convincingly."

Morelli tightened the knot his arms were in.

"After that, he let it be known that he wanted me, but I kept him at arms length. He would steal kisses. In his mind, as long as we weren't in a committed relationship, I was open season."

"I thought we _were _in a committed relationship."

"He didn't see a ring."

"You couldn't say 'no'? I've said 'no' lots of times because I love you."

"After that first time, I said 'no' for two years," I said in my defense.

"Why did you stop?"

"It's Grandma Bella's fault."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"She put the 'vordo' on me."

"That is bullshit." He powered his way past me towards the door.

"You promised you'd listen," I reminded him.

"You're nothing but a slut. You called Joyce a whore, but you're no better than she is."

As much as I deserved it, it was still really low.

I lowered my head. "I guess I'll be a whore with a baby."

He took a deep breath. "Finish your story," he said as he sat on the steps.

"It was during one of our breaks. We were fighting about…"

"Toast. I remember."

"I slept with him a few times, and then Grandma Bella removed the 'vordo' when she saw me in church. Remember, I kept telling you that I had a bladder infection?"

"You didn't?"

"I just wasn't in the mood. I think she took too much. She said I was a good girl. It took days for me to get my groove back."

"And Ranger?"

"After that, I slept with him a few times. It wasn't regular, and it wasn't like we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Everyone was saying that our relationship wasn't going anywhere, and I was beginning to believe it."

"Besides the other night, when is the last time you slept with him?"

"About a week before he left."

"And how pregnant are you?"

"Eight weeks at most."

I knew he was doing the math in his head. Ranger was gone two months. I was two months pregnant.

"How can you say it's not his?"

"I had my period after he left. I slept with him the day before the lake incident. It's yours Joe. I am one hundred percent sure of that."

"So, what are you gonna do?"

My lower jaw quivered. "I'm gonna have a baby," I croaked, as I tried desperately to hold it together.

I wanted him to comfort me, but he didn't.

He was silent for a long minute. "I need to process all of this."

"I love you, Joe," I said desperation in my voice.

"If this hadn't happened, you would still be screwing him," he said abruptly.

"You never asked me to marry you!" I blurted out putting the blame on him.

"I never asked you to marry me because I didn't want to get rejected. We were headed to the altar once, and you bailed!"

"I'm scared."

"Why? Ranger will always be there for you."

"Joe, I've loved you since the day you took me behind the cannoli case. That's why I ran you over. I was hurt."

"So, this Ranger thing is revenge for what I did as a kid?"

"No! Ranger is—well, he's Ranger. But you—you're my split apart."

He looked confused. "Your what?"

"Rent 'The Butchers Wife'. You'll understand."

"This is a lot of information to process. You should go home."

"I'm staying at my mothers' because of the concussion. I promised her two days."

"You have a good mother," Joe declared.

"And I'm going to be a horrible mother!" I lamented.

For the first time, Joe cracked a smile. "Probably."

I smacked him in the chest, and he grabbed me pulling me into his arms. "If I ask you to marry me, are you going to say 'yes'?"

"Are there conditions?"

"Absolutely."

"Do any of them include bread?"

"No, bread is optional. Other things are not." I was hoping he would smile, but he remained dead serious.

"Do I have to quit my job?"

"Pregnant women should not be running around getting shot at. Even the precinct puts a pregnant cop behind a desk."

"But I like law enforcement."

"Find a desk job."

"I can find a desk job. The problem is it will be with Ranger."

"That's my other condition."

"I can't work for Ranger?"

"I don't want you within a hundred yards of him."

"Joe."

"Think about it." He kissed me gently on the lips. My body warmed to his. "I'll talk to you in a few days."

He walked me to my car and opened the door. I got in and started the car. Then it hit me. I got out and called over the hood of the car.

"Joe?"

"What?"

"I don't want you to feel like you have to marry me just because I'm knocked up."

He held up one finger. "Wait right there."

He turned and jogged into the house. I sat back in the car and waited a few minutes for him to come out. He placed a ring box on the hood of the car. I looked through the windshield at the ring, and he snapped the box shut before I could get a good look at it.

I bolted out of the car. My heart was pounding. "Where did you get that?"

"Out of the top drawer of my dresser."

"How long has it been there?"

He took a deep breath. "Two and a half years."

"I want to see it."

"Nope, not until I know you are agreeable to my conditions. Take a few days. This is a big decision."

I drove home on auto-pilot. I was giddy with excitement over the fact that Joe Morelli still loved me. The flip side was not being able to see Ranger anymore. Joe was right. There was a lot to take into consideration.

I went to my parents and climbed into my bed. My head was a whirl with the night's events.

I knew Ranger would be able to use me at Rangeman in the office. The question was would I be able to talk Joe into allowing me to take a position for Ranger. The other thing I didn't take into consideration was whether Ranger would even want to have anything to do with me once he found out I was marrying Joe.

I knew I could keep Ranger from bedding me as long as I said 'no'. But could I keep him from poaching?

"Psst. Stephanie!" It was Grandma Mazur sneaking into the bedroom.

"Why are you sneaking around?"

"Because your mother said I needed to let you sleep. Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

I had forgotten about my encounter with Joyce last night.

"Are you really pregnant? Joyce Barnhardt said she heard it straight from the horse's mouth, and that Joseph Morelli confirmed it."

"Yes, I'm really pregnant."

Grandma got up and did a little jig around the bedroom. My mother's voice immediately came up the stairs.

"Mom, you had better not be waking her up."

"Stephanie's pregnant!" she sang out.

My mother's footsteps could be heard as she barreled up the stairs.

"It's true?" Her eyes were wild when she entered the room.

I smiled weakly. "It's true, Mom."

"It's Joseph's, right?"

"Yes, Mom, it's Joseph's."

"Why did I have to hear this from everyone in town instead of you?"

"It's a long story. I went to tell Joe, and Joyce was there. It was all a big mess."

"Is he seeing Joyce?"

"No."

"What's going on with you two then?"

"I don't know, Mom. I have some decisions to make."

"What kind of decisions?" she was overstepping her bounds, but I knew it was because she concerned for me and the welfare of the unborn child.

"Morelli is not the only guy in my life."

"Are you talking about Ranger?"

"Mmmm…mocha latte," Grandma cooed.

"Mother! You are not helping!" my mother scolded.

"Then there's my job. Morelli hates what I do for a living."

"We _all_ hate what you do for a living!" she reiterated.

"I don't hate what she does for a living. I think it's cool," Grandma responded.

My mother glared at her.

"I'm just going to go pick out something to wear to the viewing tonight. They got Myra Grimpel laid out. She was the wife of Eddie Grimpel. Old mob. There ought to be quite a turnout. I heard the cops were going to monitor it looking for some felons that have been MIA for a while."

"Where do you find out this stuff?" my mother asked.

"Loretta D'Avanzo. Her son is a cop, and she listens to his police scanner."

"Please go with her," my mother pleaded. "And as for Ranger. Think with your head. Morelli is the good one in that family. He's been true to you all these years."

"I know, Mom, and I really do love him. I just need to be able to live with those conditions and not lose that love I feel for him."

"Conditions?"

"Nothing for you to worry about."

"Well, if you do decide to get married, can I please not be the last one to know?"

"I promise."

She turned at the door. "Remember how you felt yesterday when you thought it was over."

I went downstairs and pulled my phone from my purse. Seventeen missed calls…Lula, Connie, Lula, Angelina Morelli, Mary Lou Stankovich, Vinnie, Lula, Sandy Polan Scarfo, Ranger…My stomach tightened. Evelyn Soder, Connie, Shirley the Whiner?, Joe…I smiled, Dorothy Rostowski, Mooch Morelli, Sunny Respich, Tank.

I called Joe first.

"Hey, you called?"

"I was just wondering how you were holding up."

"I haven't puked yet today, but then again I haven't eaten."

"I was talking about the repercussions of letting Joyce know our business. I can't go two steps without being interrogated. My mother is driving me nuts. She calls me about every half hour to see if I've proposed."

"Well, I just got up, but I have seventeen missed calls on my cell phone. One is from your sister-in-law Angelina, and one is from Mooch."

"Probably my mother's doing. Listen, I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Wait, I have a few questions."

"Shoot."

"When do I have to quit my job?"

"When you say 'I do'."

"Ranger."

"Not negotiable."

"But…"

"I love you, Stephanie." He disconnected.

My next call was going to be very difficult. I punched the numbers in very slowly.

"Yo."

"Hi."

"Babe."

"I guess you heard."

"I knew there was something different."

Silence. I was at a loss for words.

"Did he ask you to marry him yet?"

"No, there are conditions I have to consider."

"Like me."

"Like you."

"You know I love you."

"I know. That's what makes this so hard." I choked up and my eyes filled with tears.

"We had a good run."

"How come you didn't ask me if the baby was yours?"

"Because I know it's not."

"How could you be so sure?"

He sighed into the phone. "Remember when Julie was kidnapped?"

"Yeah…"

"I realized then that any child I fathered would be in danger its whole life. I made a decision. I can't have anymore children."

"How could you make a decision like that without consulting me?"

"Babe, you're marrying Morelli."

"Would you have married me?"

"No."

Silence again.

"Babe, I knew this little game of cat and mouse wouldn't last forever. I want you to enjoy your life. Once you have a family, you'll see how easy it will be with Morelli."

I started to cry again. "But now we can't even be friends."

"We'll always be friends, and we'll always have memories. No one can take that from us."

"I love you, Carlos."

He disconnected.


	4. Chapter 4

**I wanted to thank all of you who take the time to review even if it is to tell me that you are disappointed that this isn't a Ranger story. I am trying to write a good story that has all the elements I am known for; angst, drama, raw emotion, and sex. And just a clue about Ranger. Do you seriously think I would let him fade into the woodwork?**

COMPROMISE

I took a long hot shower. I let the water stream down on me in the hopes it would drown all my sorrows about Ranger. I noticed as I got out of the shower, that there was a lot of noise going on downstairs. I figured my sister and the kids were probably here. I dressed in my jeans and a red T-shirt. I'd have to go to my apartment for my viewing outfit, black pencil skirt and button down, white blouse, and three inch black pumps.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and about twenty people yelled out "CONGRATULATIONS!" I was shocked. I had to sit down. Even Mrs. Morelli and his grandmother were here.

"All this because I got pregnant?"

"We wanted to be here for you, being single and all," my sister Valerie blurted out.

"You have to marry my son now," Mrs. Morelli said adamantly.

"He hasn't even asked me," I said defensively.

"He will ask or I will put the evil eye on him," Grandma Bella replied shaking her finger.

Mooner stepped forward. "A little Morelli. That's like cosmic. I could babysit. I'm really good with the little dudes."

Mary Lou rushed forward and slapped her arms around me. "I'm so happy for you. We can have so much fun together!"

I was overwhelmed. I needed to get out. There was a knock at the door, and Robin Russell dressed in her police uniform entered carrying a bouquet of flowers.

"The guys down at the precinct chipped in to get you these. There's a card, but it basically says congratulations."

"How's Joe taking it?" I asked.

She nodded in understanding. "He's—holding his own."

Lula and Connie burst in carrying a bunch of balloons. "Girl, why didn't you tell us?" Lula demanded.

"I had to tell Joe first."

"Well, I say it's gonna be a girl on account of I'm in my pink phase."

Everyone started gossiping and partying. I went into the kitchen where my mother was preparing hors d'oeuvres and punch.

"How did this happen?" I asked.

"You slept with Joseph, dear," she said without missing a beat.

Albert came into the kitchen. He wrapped himself around me. He smelled like baby food. "Congratulations. If you need me to stun gun you and drag you to alter, I'd be happy to return the favor."

"Thanks."

The music in the living room had been turned up. I entered to see Sally Sweet had arrived. He was wearing a chiffon pink and baby blue dress.

"Stephanie!" he called over the music.

"Sally, I think you are overdressed."

"I dressed for the occasion. Girl, I turn this way. Boy, I turn this way. Twins, I stand straight."

"Twins! Don't even wish that on me."

Grandma came out carrying a tray of food. Every one started picking at the food. Valerie came out with a casserole that the Morelli's had brought over. After a half hour of people eating and taking turns congratulating me, Sally organized a Karaoke session. The whole thing was getting to be too much for me. My father bolted first chance he got to go to the store for a list of things my mother needed. I ducked into the bathroom and called Morelli.

"Hey."

"You have to get me out of here."

"Problem?"

"There's like twenty people in my mother's house including your mother and Grandma Bella. The party is getting out of hand. Please, if you love me, you will rescue me."

"I'm not coming near that place."

"Please, Joe. I'm begging."

Silence.

"Joe?"

"Okay, meet me at the end of the block."

"How long?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"Make it ten."

I hung up.

I went upstairs and put on my sneakers. Grandma, Sally, and Lula were in her room changing. Into what, I didn't want to know. I got to the bottom of the stairs, and my mother intercepted me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Um—I wanted to be able to walk people out."

Mrs. Morelli and Grandma Bella approached us.

"It's getting a bit loud. I think we'll take our leave." Mrs. Morelli announced.

"Let me walk you out," I said giving my mother a sly smile.

"Stephanie, so help me…"

I walked the Morelli's out and escorted them to their car.

"You tell Joe to call me when he proposes," his mother instructed.

"I will."

They drove away, and I stuck my hands in my pockets, put my head down, and walked swiftly down the street. My mother poked her head out of the door and yelled, "Stephanie Plum, you get your behind back here, right now!"

Morelli pulled up in his unmarked police car. I waved to my mother and jumped in.

"Go!" I hollered.

Morelli stepped on the gas, and we hauled ass away from the party.

"You okay?"

"Do I look okay?"

He smiled. "You look pretty hot to me. You're not even covered with anything. Nice change."

"How goes it on your end?"

"All right. I was hoping to plan a really special night with the woman I love, but…"

"But what?"

"Have you thought about the conditions?"

"Yes, I've thought about them."

"And?"

"Compromise."

"No compromise."

Joe swung into the parking lot to my apartment.

"Come on, Joe! What sacrifice are you making?"

"How about the sacrifice that I am swallowing my pride and marrying you even though everyone at Rangeman knows you've been diddling the boss?"

"Well gee, I wouldn't want you to have to swallow your pride. I don't have to be married to have a baby. Lots of single women raise children."

"Is that what you want? You want to raise a baby on your own and work for Vinnie chasing down piece of shit FTA's until one day someone gets a lucky shot off or blows up your car with you in it? Then what am I supposed to tell our daughter? I'm sorry your mother isn't here for you, but she thought pond scum was more important than you."

"Not when you put it that way."

"That's how it is Stephanie. Can't you see that? Every time you get yourself mixed up with some dangerous felon, I lose my mind."

"Okay, I promise I will quit my job as soon as we are married."

"Stephanie, you're pregnant _now_."

"I'll only take minor offenses, no one who is known to carry a weapon."

"Fine. See? I just compromised."

"About Ranger."

He took a deep breath. "I don't want you seeing him."

"We're friends."

"You're lovers."

"We don't have to be."

"You don't have to be friends."

"But we _are_ friends, and even you can't change that."

"He made a fool of me."

"It wasn't about you."

"Then you tell me, what was it about?'

"It was about me, and the fact that like you, he fell in love with me. The reason he didn't take action sooner was because he respects you."

"The fact that he's in love with you is the reason I don't want him near you."

"I love him, too, Joe."

"Get out."

"No."

"Get out of my car, NOW!"

I opened Morelli's glove box and pulled out his gun.

"Give me that."

"Shoot me."

"What? You're out of your mind."

"Shoot me. Then, you won't have to worry about me cheating on you or getting killed or having to raise a kid by yourself. Do it."

"Stop it."

"I want to be your wife, Joe. I love you, and I won't cheat on you. I'll even take precautions, so I'm never alone with him, but I won't walk away from him. He cares about me, and I care about him, and he can give me the work I want to do in a safe environment."

He pushed back into his seat and rubbed his chin as he thought about it. Finally, he spoke.

"You can see him in public places, but I don't want you working for him. That's my final offer. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it."

"So, let me get this straight. You are going to work for Vinnie until our wedding day, but you are only going to take FTA's with minor offenses?"

"Yes."

"After we are married, you are going to quit the bail bond business?"

"Yes."

"And you will not work for Ranger, and you will only have contact with him in public places?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a condition for me?"

"I have two."

"Go on."

"You buy the bread."

His lips curled into a smile. "Deal, what's the other condition?"

"That you love me."

"Cupcake, I've loved you forever."

He grabbed me by the shirt and hauled me across the console, and he kissed me long and hard.

"You want to seal the deal?"

I put my arms around his neck. "More than you know."

We made our way to the elevator. Joe pushed me up against the elevator wall and slid his hand up my shirt. "You know I thought your breasts were getting bigger, but I thought it was just my imagination."

"Will you still love me when they are hanging down to here?" I cupped my hands down around my mid-drift.

"I'll get you a boob job."

"So you want a trophy wife?"

"I want you. I've always wanted you."

"Joe picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around him." When the elevator door opened, he carried me to my door. "Give me your key."

"I don't have my keys. I don't even have my purse. Use your key."

"I gave it back to you."

"I think Lula has it."

"Shit, what are we gonna do?"

"We could go back to your house?"

"Or we could do it in the elevator," he joked.

"And then we can go back to your house."

He entered the elevator and stopped it between floors. He put me down, and I lay on the carpeted floor.

"You ride me. I don't want to give you rug burn," Joe exclaimed.

He lay on his back and pulled his pants down but not off. I kicked off my shoes. Then I stripped off my jeans and panties.

He cracked a brilliant smile. "You wore the pink thong I bought for you."

"Uh huh."

His dick was already hard. I grabbed his manhood and spoke to it. "I missed you."

"He missed you, too."

Morelli grabbed my shirt and peeled it off of me. "I missed the girls."

Joe was such a breast man. I truly believed that he actually would pay for a boob job to keep them young and perky.

I grabbed his hard on and straddled him. I eased the tip of his penis into me.

He had his hands on my breasts. "Oh yeah, cupcake. That's what I like."

I closed my eyes and enjoyed it as he pushed his way inside of me. I began to gyrate, and he started to breath heavily.

"Kiss me," I cooed as I lower my face to his lips. I put my face very close to his ear and I whispered. "I'm case you weren't sure. I love you Joseph Anthony Morelli."

Joe's hands traveled from my breasts to my hips, and he guided me home. I knew he was trying to rush it because if the tenants couldn't get the elevator to work they would go to Dillon, the super, and he would use his master key to override what we had done.

It started to feel really good. My breathing was labored. Morelli was smiling. He knew he was getting me to that place.

"Come on Stephanie. I want to feel you tighten up."

He was getting close, too. I could tell by the way he was gripping my ass.

Suddenly, I felt my doodah spasm. I threw my head back and half gasped, half moaned. That's when he pulled me down and rammed it home. As soon as he climaxed, he started to laugh. "I can't believe we did this—and I'm on duty."

All of a sudden the elevator jerked. "Shit! Stephanie, hit the button!"

I jumped up and slammed the button with my palm. The elevator jerked again.

"Put your clothes on!"

It took Joe no time to pull up his pants. I, on the other hand, was naked.

"Forget the panties," he ordered. I pulled my pants on. I was hopping around the elevator when it jerked again. Joe ran to the panel and stopped it again. "Give me your bra." He took it and stuffed it into his pocket.

I was pulling my shirt over my head just as the elevator started to move. Morelli grabbed my shoes and tucked them under his arm. The elevator doors opened. Mr. and Mrs. Wexler and Mr. Markowitz were staring at us.

"Smooth ride," Joe said with a sly smile. He guided me out of the back door to the parking lot. As soon as we got outside we both started to laugh hysterically.

"That was fun."

Morelli draped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. "I promise you I will try to make your life fun." Then his face changed. He was serious. "I don't expect you to be like your mother or mine. I know you like to stay active and be adventurous, and I encourage that. I just don't want you to put your life in danger on a daily basis."

"Okay, I know that once the baby is born, my life will change, but until then I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You could take cooking classes."

"I could take pole dancing classes," I countered.

He leaned in and kissed my neck. "I've got a pole right here that you could ride."

"Again?"

"What can I say? You bring out the animal in me." His lips met mine, and I was glad that I'd soon be Mrs. Morelli.

A car turned into the parking lot like a bat out of hell and careened straight for us. Lula jumped out.

"Your mother told us to find you and drag your skinny white ass back to the house. Vinnie says he wants to talk to you. What do you want to do?"

"Officer Morelli says I'm under house arrest. I'm going to his house."

Joe and I strolled hand in hand to his car. He opened the door to his phone ringing. He picked it up and read the number. "It's the station," he said sullenly.

"Don't answer it."

"I have to. I'm on the clock."

He answered the phone. Connie swung around to where I was standing. "What do you want me to tell Vinnie?"

I looked over at Morelli. He was wearing his cop face.

"Tell Vinnie I'll be there shortly."

Connie drove out of the lot. Morelli hung up and gave me that look.

"Can you drive me to my parents' house, so I can get my bag and my keys, and then drive me back here?"

"I'm sorry, cupcake. I can get you to your parents'; then I have to take off."

"That's fine. I'll see if my father can drop me."

Morelli pulled up to the curb of my parents' house. Most of the cars were gone. Only my sister's car and Mooner were still parked.

Joe stepped out of the car and again scooped me into his arms. "Don't make any plans for tomorrow night." He kissed me briefly on the lips. "And I wouldn't mind seeing you in that red dress you bought a while back."

"Are you taking me out?"

"Yeah."

He kissed me again and backed away. I turned to enter the house.

"Steph!"

I turned as Morelli was pulling my bra from his pocket. "I think you forgot something." At that moment, I thought of Diesel. He had a talent for removing my bra without my knowledge.

I entered the house. It was relatively quiet, all things considered. My mother was in the kitchen cleaning.

I walked up behind her and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Mom. Joe and I needed some time alone."

"So, are you getting married?"

Valerie walked into the kitchen.

"We've talked about it. I'm pretty sure, but he still hasn't asked me yet. He's taking me out tomorrow night. I hope he'll ask me then."

"Oh my God! That is so great. You're going to be a Morelli!"

I loved Joe, but the thought of being a part of the Morelli clan didn't exactly bring me to a happy place. Besides the fact that most of the women were insane, my fear was that Joe would end up like his brother, Anthony, the latest to join the cheating, womanizing ways that were synonymous with the name Morelli.

"Where's Dad?"

"He said he needed some peace and quiet. He went to the club."

"Valerie, can you drive me to my car? I need to go to work."

"Honey, you were supposed to take a few days off," my mother reminded me.

"I feel fine. As a matter of fact, I feel great!"

"Well, please put on your bra before you go out."

I could feel the heat rise into my face.

I arrived at the bonds office. Connie was at the police station bonding someone out. Lula was on the phone with her credit card company. Vinnie's door was closed. I held my breath and knocked. No answer.

"Vinnie, it's Stephanie," I called out.

The door opened.

"Stephanie, come in. Sit."

I sat.

"So, you're going to be a mother."

I sighed. "Yep."

"I suppose you are going to marry Morelli."

"He has to ask me first."

"He'll want you to quit this job."

"Yes, he mentioned that."

"You need to find your replacement."

"Me? Why should I find my replacement?"

"Because I hired you against my better judgment, and now you are leaving me. I am not going to allow Lula to take your place. Connie is about to go on vacation. That leaves you."

"Fine, I'll see what I can do," I said sullenly.

I got up to leave.

"Stephanie?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations. I wish you and Morelli the best."

"Thanks, Vinnie."

I left the room and plopped on the couch. My eyes pooled with tears.

"Did he yell at you? I'll go kick his skinny rat ass!"

"No! He didn't yell at me. He congratulated me. I'm just emotional, that's all. I'm gonna miss all of you."

"Where you goin'?"

"Lula, I'm pregnant! I can't go chasing bad guys!"

"Sure you can. You just need to stop talkin' to them and start stunnin' them before they get the chance to run or knock you on your ass."

I sighed. "Well, I only have one FTA and unfortunately, he's dangerous. I made a promise that I wouldn't put myself in danger. I need to get him today, before Morelli asks me to marry him."

"Let's do this, white girl."

"I want to stop and get my gun."

"Now, you're talkin'!"

The truth was Ricky the Fix scared me, not because he wanted to kill me. I'd had plenty of guys who wanted me dead. There was something about him, the way he touched me. I was afraid of what he might do to me if given the opportunity. I wasn't taking any chances.

We took my car. In the past, I would have let Lula drive, but I knew my car was being monitored by Ranger. At least it was in the past. I hoped that he was still keeping tabs on me.

"How are we going to do this?"

I had a plan. "I'm going to go up on the porch and shoot out his camera. That should piss him off enough to come out."

"What if he shoots you?"

"I don't think he will. He made it pretty clear that he's got as thing for me. He'd rather kidnap me. That's where you come in."

"You want me to shoot him?"

"No, when he comes out, I want you to bash in the back window. It should distract him long enough for me to stun him."

I dropped Lula on the block behind the house. She could take the alley on in. I parked across the street from the house. His car was parked in the driveway. I sat in the car and gave myself a pep talk.

"Fast in, do what you have to before he realizes what's going on."

I got out of the car. Cuffs in my back pocket. Pepper spray, stun gun. I pulled my gun from my purse. I stepped up on the porch. I faced the camera.

"Richard Kaiser? You missed your court date. I need you to accompany me downtown so that we can reschedule." Before he could answer, I raised my gun and squeezed off a shot at the camera. I shocked myself that I hit it first try. I stepped back from the door in expectation. I pulled out my pepper spray. I figured I'd blind him first. I waited and waited. Nothing. _What the hell?_

Suddenly, the door swung open and I immediately sprayed my pepper spray into Lula's face.

"Motha fucka!" she screamed.

He shoved Lula away from him and she fell to her knees, sputtering, and trying to wipe the tears and snot from her face.

Ricky pulled a magnum straight up to my face. "You bitch! You shot out my camera. I'll make you pay for that. You want to play this game? You got it. Game on, I look forward to the day I plunge my cock into your pussy. Now, take your inept fat friend and get the fuck off my porch!"

I was shaking, but I tried not to show any fear. I reached down for Lula, but I kept my eyes on him the entire time. There was something about his eyes. It was absolutely creepy.

I got Lula in the car and ran back to my side to get in before he had the mind to shoot us. I took off, and he was still standing on the porch.

"You sprayed me!" Lula screeched.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were him! By the time I realized it was you, it was too late!"

"That's it. I'm not helping you with him no more! Ever since you found out you are pregnant, you got all weirded out. I need some water. I need a shower. I need some comfort food."

"Okay, I'll take you to my apartment. You can take a shower and I'll get us some subs."

Two hours later, Lula was appeased and her vision was nearly normal. I dropped her back at the bonds office and took off for home. My phone rang as I was headed into the house. It was Morelli.

"Hey."

"How is your day?"

"Not so great. I blinded Lula with pepper spray."

Morelli started to laugh.

"It's not funny!"

"Well it wouldn't be if you did it on purpose. You didn't do it on purpose did you?"

"No! I was trying to apprehend Ricky the Fix."

"What? He's a known felon. You said you were only going to go after those with minor offenses."

"I took on Ricky before we had our little talk."

"Give him back. He's dangerous and he's slippery."

"I can't. I would have had him today if it wasn't for the fact that Lula jumped the gun, and he caught her."

"I'm not feeling very good right now."

"Don't worry. I'm done for the day."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I'm on my way home. I'm going to take Grandma Mazur to Stivas. Myra Grimpel is being laid out. I heard through the grapevine that a lot of the old mob is going to be there."

"Yeah, a lot of cops, too."

"What are my chances on seeing a hot Italian cop?"

"Pretty good, half the force is Italian."

"You know, when we get married, I expect you to come home at a reasonable hour."

"Is that another condition?"

"I think it is."

"Cupcake, I'll do my best and I'll try to make it to Stiva's tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm having some fun writing this story. I hope y'all are enjoying it! Oh, and my book is officially on sale at the Createspace e-store. The link is in my profile if you are interested.**

HELL NIGHT

I parked in front of the house and waited for Grandma to come out. It was a chilly night. She was wearing a new coat that she bought on an outing to the mall with Marion Barker. It was a quilted print jacket. The print consisted of autumn leaves. I didn't have the heart to tell her that when she stood sideways, she looked like a wilted tree. It was after Labor Day, so Grandma Mazur had resorted to her 'fall' collection of shoes. This so called collection consisted of a brown short heel pump with an extra wide heel for balance and a Black shiny patent leather pump with buckles. She was wearing these tonight. They reminded me of shoes the pilgrims wore. Between the jacket and the shoes, my mind drifted to Thanksgiving and I had a craving for turkey.

Grandma climbed into the car and shut the door too gently to be considered closed. I had to get out and re-shut her door. As I walked around the back of the car I noticed a vehicle parked halfway down the block with its lights on. It had been there like that since I pulled up to the curb. I shook it off and got into the car.

I dropped Grandma at the front of the Funeral home and went in search of a place to park. The place was crowded, and there wasn't any parking for a full block and a half. I got out of the car and had the most eerie feeling. I walked swiftly down the block toward the building. A car was driving up the road behind me slowly. My heart started to race. I felt like the car was following me. Suddenly, the car speedup and passed me. I let out a deep breath when the car reached the corner and turned.

Another car pulled up and slowed. The window rolled down. "Hey, gorgeous, need a ride?"

I stared straight ahead. I had pepper spray and my stun gun in my purse, but by the time I got them out I could be abducted.

"Stephanie?" I turned slowly. "I'm likin' the gams."

"Diesel?"

"In the flesh."

"Oh, my God! What are you doing here?"

"I'm keeping an eye on someone. I'm pretty sure he's going to make an appearance at the Funeral home tonight. Come, jump in."

"I stepped off the curb and jumped into the car."

"Hi Flash!" I was exhilarated to be in the car with Diesel. "I've been getting the feeling that I'm being followed. You came by just in time."

"Maybe it's kismet, darlin'. Congratulations on the baby."

"How did you know?"

"It's in your aura," he replied.

"Really?"

He laughed. "You're so gullible."

Flash pulled up to the front door. Diesel got out and opened my door. I angled my way out of the car, and Diesel pulled me into his arms. "It's been good to see you gorgeous. We should do lunch sometime."

"You're not coming inside?"

"No. If I'm spotted, it could get messy."

"Okay, well, you know where I live. Pop in any time."

"I just might take you up on that." He kissed the nape of my neck, and my nipples got hard. He smiled, and those damn dimples appeared. "I suppose you want to keep your bra on."

"If you don't mind."

I backed away and tripped over the curb. Before I could hit the ground, Diesel caught me and up righted me. He turned me towards the building. "One foot in front of the other, darlin'."

I walked to the front door where several older men were standing around smoking. I turned and Diesel's car was gone. I saw Morelli's car slowly pass by. He was watching me. I waved to him before turning to go inside. The place was wall to wall people. I felt a bit claustrophobic. Just another wonderful side effect of my pregnancy. _Yay!_ I thought sarcastically.

I needed to find Grandma Mazur to make sure she was here. As stupid as that sounds, there was a time when she wasn't. Considering all the mob members and felons here tonight, who knows who might try to get even with me by taking Grandma for a ride? I finally found her standing on a line next to a well dressed older gentleman with a big diamond pinky ring.

"Stephanie! Look who I ran into. This here's a classmate of mine from high school. His name is Mike Ballone. He owns one of them casinos in Atlantic City. He said I could come there and stay in his special suite for free! Isn't that nice of him?"

"That's wonderful. Let's not do it tonight though, okay?"

I'd wait till we got home to remind her that nothing is ever free, although I couldn't see what he would want from Grandma. Do people still have sex in their seventies? This is the age of Viagara.

"I saw Joe drive by. I'm going to head back towards the door to see if he comes inside."

"That's Joseph Morelli," she told the man. "He's a police officer and the father of her unborn child. You don't have to be married to have a baby anymore. It's the modern way," she explained to him.

Oh boy.

I made my way back through the crowd. Suddenly, a man turned and I was backed into the wall. I was face to face with Richard Kaiser, and he had his hand under my jacket on my breast.

"Ms. Plum. Fancy meeting you here."

He gazed into my eyes and smiled. His eyes were bluer than mine, and he was wearing that damned cologne again.

"You look exquisite tonight. Good enough to eat."

"My boyfriend's here," I blurted out.

"Right, Officer Morelli. Yes, I heard he knocked you up. Too bad, I would have liked to have had that honor." He reached down and pushed my skirt between my legs. I should have screamed, but I was sure the vermin in this place would probably just encourage him. I could feel my legs shaking. The fear I had for this man was comparable to Eddie Abruzzi and Benito Ramirez. They had to kill them to stop them.

"You like that? I bet you do. Too bad I have to go prepare a special gift for you. I hope you like it." He backed away, and I was glad that I was up against the wall. I clung to the wall to keep from keeling over.

I felt nauseous, and I was sure I was going to throw up. My legs were wobbly, but I managed to move towards the bathroom. By the time I hit open carpet, I was in a flat run. I barely made it through the bathroom door when the bile hit the back of my throat. I collapsed to my knees at the first toilet and tossed my cookies.

There were three older women standing by the sinks.

"My! Is she all right?" One of the women asked.

"That's Stephanie Plum. Didn't you hear? She got knocked up by that Morelli boy, Joseph. They're not married," another woman with a deep, raspy voice declared.

"Plum," the other said thoughtfully. "Isn't she the girl who burned this place down?"

_Jesus! Do they not realize that I can hear them?_

The woman with the raspy voice spoke again. "We should hurry and pay our respects. A person could get trampled to death if there was a fire in this crowd."

The three women marched out of the bathroom. I got to my feet, flushed the toilet, and went to the sink to try and pull myself together. My nerves were shot. Morelli was right. I needed to get out of this business and leave it to someone who didn't give a rat's ass about their life. I needed to find my replacement—and I needed to bring in Richard Kaiser.

I exited the bathroom and literally ran into Morelli. I let out a gasp thinking it was Richard waiting to give me my surprise.

"Whoa, cupcake. You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I just threw up."

"Oh—can I do anything?"

"No. I just want to go home. I need to find Grandma Mazur. She was on line to view the casket."

"It's an open casket, right?"

"I hope so."

He gently brushed my hair behind my ear and trailed his hand across my cheek. "You stay here. I'll go find her."

I stood near the front door. Joe wasn't gone a minute when a well rounded gentleman with a double chin and a graying comb-over approached me. He was wearing an expensive suit that fit him well considering his proportions.

"You workin' tonight?" He had the kind of voice that commanded authority.

"Excuse me?" I replied, confused by his remark.

He ran his finger up the outside of my thigh lifting my skirt a few inches. "I'll give you a hundred dollars if you'll join me for the evening. I'm staying at the Marriott."

My eyes were fixated on the man, and suddenly, I realized Morelli was standing directly behind him. Morelli pulled the man's hand from my leg and twist his arm behind his back.

"What the…" the man said, surprise replacing the sly look on his face.

The click of a handcuff was clearly heard. "Police. Now I can take you in for soliciting, or you can apologize to my girlfriend."

"I don't apologize to no one," he growled.

The next thing I knew, the man tried to reach for his gun. Morelli swung his leg out in front of the guy, tripping him, taking him down to the floor with a thud, but not before the man got off a shot. It hit the front picture window and shattered it. Women screamed, and all hell broke lose. There was stampede for the door. I was frozen in place for a moment before I looked down and saw Morelli fighting to keep the man from firing off another shot. I reacted the only way I could think of. I stepped on his hand with my three inch heel. He let out a scream and released the gun. I picked up the gun and stuffed it into my purse.

By now, the building was nearly empty. Grandma Mazur was standing about ten feet away watching the spectacle unfold. Mike Ballone, the man with the diamond pinky ring stepped behind Grandma and clamped his hand around her arm. He pulled her close to him and calmly spoke.

"I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. We wouldn't want anyone to be harmed." It was a veiled threat.

Morelli slapped the other handcuff on the man on the ground, pulled him to his feet, and turned to Mr. Ballone. Morelli had purposely put his prisoner in front of me.

"This incident is over. You need to move along. Stephanie, leave the building," he instructed without turning to me.

"I'm not leaving without Grandma Mazur," I said adamantly.

He turned his attention to me. "Stephanie, don't argue with me!"

I glared at him and bit my lip because I hated that he yelled at me. The sirens were wailing up the street. It would only be a minute before the place would be crawling with cops.

"Sorry, George. You're on your own." Mr. Ballone released Grandma and made a break for the back door. He didn't get far before he hit a wall of Rangemen. Hal, Tank, and Ranger all stood ready for business. Ballone stopped and raised his hands in surrender. Tank cuffed the man as the police surrounded the building.

Someone called out over a megaphone, "This is the police. The building is secure. Please, come out with your hands up."

"I'll take care of that," Ranger offered.

"Take Stephanie and her grandmother with you," Morelli instructed.

Ranger walked out with his hands in the air. Grandma and I were directly behind him. Costanza and Big dog ran up to Ranger. He gave them the information. Another officer, who I didn't know, pulled me and Grandma to the sidelines.

Morelli came out with the prisoner and gave him to a couple of uniforms. Then he immediately crossed the front lawn to me.

"You did good in there," he said calmly.

"Then why did you yell at me?"

He gave me a stern look, "Because you had a gun in your hand, and I knew you wouldn't use it, but the guy holding your grandmother could have easily shot you and claimed self defense. I've seen it happen before."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Can I have the gun?"

"Right." I opened my purse and retrieved the gun.

"Look, I'm just glad that you're all right. I have to go down to the station and book this guy."

"What about Mr. Ballone?"

"He didn't make a direct threat and he didn't brandish a weapon."

"He had a hold on Grandma."

"He could easily claim that he was trying to protect her. We can't hold him. How are you feeling?" he said changing the subject.

"The same."

"You could stay at my place if you want."

"Honestly, I just want to go to bed. I'm not feeling frisky."

His eyes got dark. "I'd offer to change your mind, but if you really aren't feeling up to it…"

"Joe, I…"

"It's okay. I'll talk to you in the morning." He kissed me on the temple and walked away.

My eyes rose to Ranger. He was watching. I felt a dull ache in the pit of my stomach. Our eyes held for a few beats and he, too, turned and walked away.

Once I knew Grandma was safe and sound, I pointed the shark-mobile towards home. There wasn't any parking near the building. I had to park in the back near the dumpster. I had learned from experience to check the lot before leaving my car. I moved swiftly across the blacktop into the building. As soon as I closed the door behind me, a great wave of relief washed over me. I flipped on the light in the kitchen, and Rex stopped running on his wheel long enough to blink at me and wiggle his whiskers. That was the hello I needed. Then he went right back to running. I dropped my purse on the couch and plopped down next to it.

I felt nauseous again. "I think this pregnancy thing is going to be rough." I said to myself. I picked up the phone and called my sister, Valerie. The phone rang several times before Albert picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Steph. Can I speak to Valerie?"

"Sure, she's just trying to get Lisa to go down. Hold on."

I could hear a lot of commotion in the background. Lisa was crying, and Valerie was speaking sternly to Albert. I could only assume she was trying not to yell. I was about to hang up when she answered.

"Hey, Stephanie. What's up?"

"I'm sorry to bother you. I'm feeling really nauseous. Is there anything I can do?"

"Stay away from soda. Don't eat anything greasy, sweet, or heavy. If you can, eat crackers or toast."

"Anything else?"

"Fresh fruits and vegetables usually worked for me."

_Great, she wants me to eat Ranger food._

"How long does this last?"

"For me, it lasted about two months."

"I'll be dead by then," I said sullenly.

Valerie laughed. "You'll be fine. A little miserable, but you'll live. I guess it's lucky that you and Morelli aren't officially a couple."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go puke now."

"Bye."

I sulked my way into the kitchen. I didn't have any of the things that Valerie suggested. Ranger had everything she suggested.

I punched in Ranger's number.

"Yo."

"Can I come over there and eat some of your food?"

"Did Cluck-in-a-Bucket close down?"

"Ha ha, very funny. I can't keep any food down. Valerie says I should eat crackers, and fruits, and vegetables."

"I'll have Ella make up a tray you can take with you."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

I could have gone down to the Shop Rite and picked up the things I needed, but I wanted to see Ranger. My time with him was about to be severely compromised. I wanted to feel his strong arms around me one more time. I wanted to feel his warm lips on mine. Technically, I wasn't engaged yet. Joe was busy down at the precinct. He'd never have to know. Besides, I wasn't going to sleep with him.

I opened my front door and stepped into the elevator. No sooner had I stepped out of the building when my car exploded. It didn't just explode. Fireworks shot from the car in every direction. There was a myriad of colors flying through the air. Red, blue, green. It was beautiful in a sick sort of way. A window opened from above.

"Stephanie, is that you down there?" Mr. Wolesky called from the second floor.

"Yes, it's me."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"I called the fire department."

"Thank you."

A minute later, a Rangeman SUV sailed into the parking lot and pulled to a stop. Hal was driving. As soon as he laid eyes on me, he picked up the phone, no doubt reporting into Ranger.

"Hi, Hal," I said meekly.

"Your car disappeared on the screen. Ranger knew you were heading for your car. He said for you to stay right where you are. He's on his way."

The fire trucks' screaming approach could be heard blocks away. The car was engulfed in flames. The first fire truck swung into the driveway followed by a black and white, and they all came to a stop at the back of the parking lot. A crowd had gathered, and the cops were forcing them back.

The next vehicle to enter the parking lot was Ranger's Porche Cayenne. He parked behind the SUV. The door opened, and he angled himself out of the car. He walked with deliberation toward me and pulled me tightly into his arms. "Jesus, Stephanie. I thought I had lost you."

"I'm okay. I never even made it to the car."

"I tried to call you. You didn't answer."

"I must have left my phone upstairs."

"Do you know who did this?"

"I have an idea." In my peripheral vision, I could see Joe standing about twenty feet away. He looked like he was ready to bolt. "Joe is here."

"You should go to him."

"I'll call you?"

"It's your dime." He took my hand and dropped his keys into them. "Consider it a loaner."

"Carlos!" I whined.

His lips turned ever so slightly into a smile. He turned, jumped into the SUV, and Hal drove away.

Morelli was rubbing his forehead like he had a headache.

I walked slowly towards him. "It's not what you think," I said in my defense.

"It never is," he said dryly.

"I got home. I was hungry, but it seems like everything I eat gets thrown up. I called Valerie, and she said to eat crackers, fruit, and vegetables. That's the kind of stuff that Ranger eats all the time, so I called him. He said he'd have Ella make me up a tray."

"Have you never heard of a supermarket?"

"I can barely afford to pay my rent! Anyway, when the car fell off his radar he knew I was supposed to be driving it, and he panicked. He thought it blew up when I started it."

"What do you mean fell off his radar? Is he stalking you?"

Oh boy.

"I prefer to think of it as protection."

"Is that why you don't want to stay with me? Because he'll know you're with me?"

"No!"

"Fuck! Why am I doing this with you when you've got him?"

"You're the one I want to marry!" I cried.

"Why don't you just marry him and cheat with me?" he blurted out.

Suddenly, I felt lightheaded. I closed my eyes, and I could feel myself going down, everything was spinning.

"Stephanie?" I could hear his voice trail off down a long tunnel.

"Stephanie? Come on, baby, wake up."

I felt a cloth with cold water on my face. My senses reacted quickly. I tried to sit up as I opened my eyes. At first, all I saw were bright lights. Then, two figures came into view.

"Steph?"

I shook my head and focused on the voice. "Joe?"

"She's coming around."

"Hey, sweetheart. Are you with me?"

I could see his face coming into focus. He was so handsome, and yet he looked so worried.

"What happened?"

"You passed out."

"When is the last time you ate?" the paramedic asked.

"I was going to get food when my car blew up."

"Okay, I'm taking you back to my place, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

I was happy to have him care, and it seemed that the argument we were having over Ranger had been put on the back burner. Joe scooped me into his arms and picked me up off the concrete. He carried me to his SUV and stood me on my feet, so he could open the door on the passenger side. I looked over to see the Porsche still parked in the middle of the lot.

"What about the Porsche? I can't leave it like that."

Joe growled. "Give me the keys."

I handed him the keys, and he closed the door. He walked over to the Porsche and parked it in a space. He climbed into the truck and looked at his watch. "If we hurry, we can get to Shop Rite before they close."

He pulled into the parking lot. "You want to come inside, or do you want to wait out here?" He was very serious. He was wearing his cop face. This worried me.

"I'll come."

Inside the store, he grabbed a cart and pushed it. My legs were still a bit wobbly. I wrapped my arm around his elbow. He was all business. He stopped at the produce section and bought apples, bananas, oranges, and a cantaloupe. He bought fresh green beans and yellow squash. He picked out salad fixing's including lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and carrots.

He stocked up on salad dressings, bagels, orange juice, milk, and bread. He stared into the cart. "Anything else?"

"Crackers," I said softly.

"Right, crackers."

By the time we got to his house, it was after eleven. It had been a long day. As he opened the door, he said to me, "Watch out for Bob." Bob barreled past the both of us. Poor Bob had been holding it in all day. He ran next door and crapped all over their lawn.

"Shit! I hate when he does that."

I entered the house, and Joe carried in the bags of groceries. "Sit," he ordered.

I protested. "I can put away the groceries. I'm not an invalid," I said as I ripped open the box of crackers and shoved one into my mouth.

"Fine," he said as Bob trotted back into the house. "I'm going to bed."

"I'll be up in a few minutes."

"I'll make up the spare room for you."

_What did he say? The spare room? _"Joe, what did you say?"

"Look, I get that you want Ranger, but you said that's my baby you are carrying. I want to make sure my baby survives your idiotic idea of life, and then we can share custody—or I can take her if you want."

"Joseph Anthony Morelli, we are not going to share custody of this baby. We are going to raise this baby together."

"That'll be hard to do if you are sleeping with Ranger." He turned abruptly and calmly went up the stairs.

I was in the kitchen mumbling to myself and putting away the groceries while I chewed on an apple. When I finished, I marched up the stairs and found the bedroom door locked. I was already aggravated, and this just compounded my already fragile state.

I jiggled the handle. "Joe, open this door." He ignored me. "Joseph, open this door. I'm not kidding."

Nothing. Now that he had me here, there was no way in hell I was sleeping in the spare room. I was pregnant and ornery. I went downstairs to where he kept his spare gun. I checked it for bullets. It was loaded. I went back upstairs and banged on the door with the gun.

"Joseph Morelli. I have a gun, and if you don't open this door, I am going to shoot the lock off."

"Go to bed, Stephanie," he called from the confines of his room.

I aimed at the door, and just before I was about to pull the trigger, I remembered that Bob was in there. What if the bullet penetrated the door and hit Bob? _Shit! _I aimed at the door to the hall closet. I squeezed the trigger and BANG!

Morelli had the bedroom door open in a fraction of a second. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"I think I am," I said flatly.

"You could have killed the dog!" he bellowed.

"I shot it at the closet. If you didn't lock me out, I wouldn't have had to shoot at all!" I screamed back.

"Why didn't you just sleep in the freakin' spare room?"

"Because if I am going to sleep in my boyfriend's house, I am going to sleep in his bed—WITH HIM!" I stormed past him, laid the gun on the nightstand, and climbed into bed. "Now get into bed!" I ordered.

He reached for the gun. "Give me that damn thing!" He picked it up, emptied all the bullets out, and placed it in the dresser.

Morelli's cell phone started ringing. He picked it up. "Yeah?"… "Stephanie's here."… "No, I didn't kill her!"… "Good night."

He placed the phone on the dresser and let out a deep sigh. He cocked his head and looked at me. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?"

"Uh huh, and you better marry me, or you will see just how crazy I can get."

He scooted into the bed and lay on his side facing away from me.

I lay there for a minute in silence waiting to see if he would try to make peace. He didn't. I rolled away from him and called over my shoulder, "I love you."

A few minutes later, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around me from behind. "I love you, too."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone. I'm off to New Jersey to try and sell some books. If you hail from the shore or Bergen County, shoot me an e-mail (PM). Maybe you'd like to hang with us or just drop by to buy an autographed copy of my book.**

**Tori- I'm not sure who you are. I am honored that you are a fan of both A Soul's Hope and Nate's Diary. I wish you'd leave a review on the stories. And I am shocked that you would read Plum Crazy even though you haven't read Janet Evanovich's books. I highly recommend it. She has a flair for comedy. You will laugh your butt off. You'll probably become a man of mystery, Ranger fan as most people do. I try to keep in mind that Morelli defines the Berg and being from Jersey myself, I can relate to that whole sense of family. Anyway, Tori, please! Do I know you?**

**Oh, and in answer to your question. I post every 6 days on this story. Nate's Diary is posted every Thursday and Sunday barring any acts of God or relatives!**

PROM DATE

I opened my eyes and Joe was sitting on the edge of the bed stroking my hair.

"Hey," he said in a quiet voice.

"Hey," I replied.

"I need to go to work. I'm going to take the Ducati. You can take the SUV. I don't want you dependant on Ranger."

I didn't want to fight him on it.

"Okay."

"I'll call Mooch to come over and check out the closet door. You really did a number on it."

"I'm sorry," I said with sincerity.

"It's good to know you are willing to kill a door for me." His smile was bright and the laugh lines reached all the way to his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed me briefly on the lips. I took the opportunity to wrap my arms tightly around his neck.

"Can you be late?"

"Are you offering?"

"More like demanding."

He pulled his phone from his pocket. I climbed out of the bed and sashayed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I returned to the bedroom, Joe was lying naked on the bed. I was still wearing my bra and panties that I had worn to bed. Last night.

"So, I guess it's a yes."

Joe Morelli was one of those guys who seemed to get better with age. In the four years I had been seeing him, he hadn't gained a pound. His body was tight. I knew he worked out at the gym pretty often, but the Morelli's had good genes.

I slinked my way onto the bed. I crept towards him like a lioness and playfully bit his neck.

"It's gonna be like that, huh?" he asked.

"Uh huh, I'm feeling ravenous," I purred.

He grabbed me, flipped me onto my back, and crawled over the top of me.

"Do you love me, Stephanie?"

I paused as I thought about a time when I couldn't bring myself to say the words. It seemed so silly now.

His dark sensual eyes strained and his expression changed to one of dismay. "Steph?"

"Yes, I love you, Joe, and I can't see spending the rest of my life with anyone but you."

His eyes softened, and he closed his mouth tenderly over my lips. Then, he scooted down to my abdomen. "You hear that? Your Mommy loves me, and I love her, and together we are going to love you and raise you, and you will be the greatest kid in the world. You know why? 'Cause you're a Morelli." He kissed my belly.

I felt a lump rise up in my throat. Before now, I wasn't even sure how he felt about the pregnancy. I mean, I knew he wanted children, but with the breakup and all… I couldn't keep my eyes from welling up.

"Steph, are you all right?"

"I wasn't sure if you wanted this baby."

The smiled emerged on his face. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this moment."

I tear slid out of the corner of my eye and hit the pillow.

His smile disappeared and he looked serious again. "You _do_ want this baby, don't you?"

"I'm scared, Joe. You are going to be such a great dad, and I'm going to be…" I couldn't even say it. "I can't even cook!" I blurted out, the tears falling freely.

"You'll learn to cook, and you'll be a great mom." His smile returned. "After all, you'll be Mrs. Morelli and all the Morelli's can cook," he said as he stroked my hair.

"But they aren't very good at controlling their boys. You were a hornbag!"

"I still am. I just have better taste in women."

He kissed me, and we spent the next hour making love. I thought we would have gorilla sex, but he was gentle and loving. He caressed my body with his tongue starting with my neck. He worked his way diligently over my breasts, gently licking the nipples until they were hard. I wanted to taste his beautiful manhood, and he was only too happy to oblige. We ended up in a battle to see who could make the other climax first. I loved teasing him, but I knew if he climaxed, I wouldn't get to feel him inside of me. His tongue parted my labia and sucked on my G-spot which sent sparks of electricity through my body. My mind went to mush, and I had a hard time concentrating on what I was supposed to be doing. I heard him chuckle, and then he started to hum. It was always the same. It was that sound you make when you're really enjoy something. 'Mmmmmm', but it was continuous. After a few minutes of this my body reacted just the way he wanted. I was gyrating, and the heat from the gentle stroke of his tongue sent me into a frenzy. The feeling rose up through my belly and by the time it reached my brain, I had lost all control. I lay there with my eyes closed, his hard-on no longer in my mouth. I reveled in the orgasm until it became too much for me. Normally, I would just push him off of me, but because of the way we were positioned, I couldn't push him anywhere. I was trapped beneath him. My natural reaction was to close my legs, and I did. I slapped my thighs tightly around his head as I giggled uncontrollably and squirmed. "Stop!" I pleaded, still giggling.

He stopped, and my legs relaxed, allowing him to roll off of me. He turned away and he was laughing, too. "I thought you were going to crush my head like a walnut!"

"Sorry!"

"I'm not. I'm glad I can still please you."

"You always please me. Now, get over here."

He climbed over me and penetrated me. I was tight, and he was loving it. He took his time and enjoyed every thrust. When he finally climaxed, I was giddy. I was energized. I only hoped this euphoria would last throughout the day because I had a lot I needed to do.

As I lay in his arms, he caressed me. "You know, I still remember the first time in the bakery. You were so warm and tight, I wanted to cum right away."

"I was a virgin. You took that from me. I was so mad when you didn't call me and pissed when I heard about what you wrote."

"I didn't call you because I was going away to boot camp. My life was in flux, and I couldn't make a high school girl a part of that. I wrote about you because I was drunk, and I was going on and on about our encounter, and the guys dared me to do it. I didn't want to write 'Stephanie Plum is a good fuck', so I came up with 'Ode to Stephanie'."

I chuckled. "I still remember it."

He looked into my eyes. "Do you?"

"Yep. Ode to Stephanie. I went in to buy a cannoli and ended up with a cupcake. I sucked on your breasts and they were the best. You gave me your plum and it made me cum. I'd do it again, just tell me when."

His eyes brightened. "I can't believe you remember that."

"I took a lot of shit because of that stupid poem. The guys all wanted to go out with me. The girls hated me. I didn't go out with anyone for almost a year because I was afraid they just wanted the poem."

"I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

"No! Why do you think I ran you over with the Buick?"

"Because you loved me?"

"No! Because I hated you!"

"So, you got your revenge."

"No, my revenge will be watching you change diapers."

"And I'll do it willingly, but right now I need to get my ass to work before I'm out of a job."

I headed for the office. Connie was off bonding out a client. Vinnie was MIA. Lula was holding down the fort.

"Your driving Morelli's SUV. What happened to the shark-mobile?"

"It went up in a spectacular array of color," I said cheerfully.

"What does that mean, and why are you so happy about it?"

"It means somebody decided to put fireworks in my car and then set it ablaze. When the fireworks went off, it was crazy."

"And you're happy about it?"

"No, I'm happy because I just had the most amazing morning."

"Well, Connie left these FTA's for you."

I sat at Connie's desk and picked up the folders. Darrell Hawkins, age twenty four—arrested for possession on a routine traffic stop. Only one prior. Got off with a slap on the wrist. This time he would probably do some time. Not known to carry weapons. Works in distribution at the Fuji warehouse in the industrial district. I'd been there before.

"This guy looks harmless enough. You want to come with me to pick this guy up?"

"Can't. I'm supposed to watch the shop till either Connie or Vinnie shows up."

I don't know why, but for some reason, this actually seemed to be a good omen.

"I need supplies. All my stuff is back at the apartment. I stayed at Morelli's last night."

I went to the back room and retrieved a set of cuffs, pepper spray, and a stun gun. There was a magnum among the stash, but I didn't feel the need to take it. After all, I was only going to his work. I was sure he wouldn't be packin'.

I got on the road to the industrial district. I was about halfway there. I stopped at a light when I saw Richard Kaiser drive by headed down Union Avenue. My gut instinct took over. I hung a right and began to follow him. I knew he would never think to look for me in Morelli's SUV. He drove over the bridge across the Delaware river and down Trenton Street to a storage facility called Morningstar Storage. He pulled up to the gate and used his pass key to get in. I drive on by, circled the block, and parked about a half block down the street. A minute later, a burgundy corvette came out of the gate, and I was shocked to see Richard driving it. He passed right by me. I made a U-turn and floored it in the hopes of catching him. I saw him turn right two blocks further down. I was afraid I might lose him when I caught a lucky break. He was stopped at a red light. I eased up behind him. We were entering Morrisville. We entered a nice suburban neighborhood.

He pulled into the driveway of a brick ranch house. Again I drove by and I pulled into a driveway a few houses down. He got out of the car and walked over to the mailbox. He opened it, grabbed the mail, sifted through it, and entered the house through the front door using a key. The house was on a decent sized lot, much larger than the ones in Trenton. There were two large trees in the back of the house and a newer maple tree in the front. There were no flowers but a few well groomed shrubs on each side of the front door. The mailbox had the number 215 painted on it. I wasn't sure what to do. I backed out of the driveway and drove down to end of the block. The street name was Mulberry. I circled around and again parked about a half block down. I pulled my cell phone from my purse and called Connie.

"Hey, can you get the info on 215 Mulberry Street in Morrisville?"

"Where are you? Lula said you went to go pick up Darrell Hawkins at the Fuji warehouse."

"Well I just followed Richard Kaiser out here to Morrisville. I think he has a girlfriend out here. I want to find out who it is."

"Okay, I'll call you back."

I was sitting there for a good half hour before my phone rang. It was Ranger.

"Hello?"

"Babe, where are you?"

"I'm doing surveillance, why?"

"The Porsche hasn't been moved, and you're not with Lula."

"I stayed at Morelli's last night. He took the Ducati to work. He told me to take the SUV."

"Should I leave the Porsche?"

"Only if you want to." It was quiet for a few beats. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go."

"What do you know about Richard Kaiser?"

"Did he blow up your car?"

"I don't know. I was leaning towards the guy you stopped trying to vacate Stiva's last night. I thought he was pissed that Joe arrested his friend. He's from AC. I figured he'd have the money to get someone to rig those fireworks."

"He would have had to pull that off on a hurry. The fireworks took planning."

"So, about Ricky the Fix?"

"He thinks he's a ladies man. He doesn't like to take 'no' for an answer. He's been arrested for rape twice, but in both instances, the victim quit her job, dropped the charges, and left the state."

"How do know they're not dead?"

"I could find out for you."

"If it's not too much trouble. I don't want to put you out."

"Babe, we're still friends. Did he put a ring on your finger yet?"

"Not yet."

"Did you agree to the conditions?"

"We compromised."

"And?"

"I can't work for you and I can't be alone with you."

"I'll have the info you need tomorrow. Lunch—I'll meet you at the mall, at Jason's Deli."

"One o'clock?"

"Make sure you tell Morelli." He disconnected.

There was a dull thump in my chest. I didn't look forward to telling Joe about my lunch date with Ranger, but I knew he was right. If I was going to keep Ranger in my life, it would have to be under Joe's terms—for now.

My phone rang again. It was Connie.

"Hello?"

"Okay, the address belongs to a Maria Kaiser, aged fifty eight."

"It must be his mother's house."

"When are you coming back to the office? Lula wants pizza, and she said doesn't like going to Pino's without you."

"Tell her to order it. Pino's delivers. I still need to head over to the Fuji factory."

"Okay, I'll tell her."

My stomach turned at the thought of greasy pizza. This morning I had eaten a banana, toast, and decaf coffee. I was still hungry, but I didn't throw up. There was nothing happening here, so I figured I'd head off to pick up Darrell Hawkins.

I arrived at the factory. It was a newer building and quite large. It didn't look like it belonged in Trenton. The outside was grey stone-face with a blue line etched all the way around the building and the word 'FUJI' in raised letters. I knew he was in receiving, so I pulled around the back of the building to the loading dock. There were three bay doors. Two were closed and the third had a truck backed up to it. There were steps leading up to a door. I took the stairs to the door. It was locked. There was a security keypad on the wall with a button to summon someone inside. I pushed the button.

"_Hello?"_ The voice came from the box.

"Hi, I was looking for Darrell Hawkins?"

"_Yeah, he's not here today."_ The voice sounded like a black man. It could have been him for all I know.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"_Tomorrow. His Grandma died. They're burying her today."_

"Thank you."

Silence. He didn't ask who I was or anything. I looked around to see if there was a surveillance camera, but I didn't see any sign of one.

I guess I could check back tomorrow.

I was headed back to the office. On my way, I called Marilyn Truro, an old friend who worked at the DMV to see if she could tell me who owned the corvette Richard was driving. She said she was busy, but she'd call me back.

I decided to stop and get a salad at Mickey D's. I figured it would be better than pizza. I was at the drive-thru window when my phone rang. It was Connie again.

"Hello?"

"You have a visitor here, and he was flowers."

"Aw! Joe's there?"

"It's not Joe."

Couldn't be Ranger, could it? "Ranger?"

"It's not Ranger."

"Well, who is it?"

"It's someone from your past. Just get back here."

"Okay! I'll be there in ten minutes."

The whole time I drove, I couldn't figure out who would be bringing me flowers. As I pulled up to the bonds office, I didn't recognize any of the cars parked on the street. I had to admit I was a bit nervous. I got out of the car and approached the door cautiously. As I opened the door, a wave of relief washed over me.

It was Mateo. The last time I saw him, I was so distraught I really didn't think about how he looked. I had forgotten how good looking he was. His eyes were almond shaped and so dark they were almost black. His hair was ebony and full. There was no sign of a receding hairline, and he wore it long enough that he could brush it straight back off of his face. He had the kind of hair you wanted to run your fingers through.

When he smiled, dimples magically appeared that could melt your heart. I wondered what kind of woman would stray from such a handsome catch. He wasn't overly tall, so his body was stocky, but well proportioned.

He turned and smiled at me as he picked up the flowers from the desk. "Stephanie, it's so good to see you!"

"Mattie, it's good to see you, too."

He embraced me, and the aroma from his cologne brought me back to a place long ago. He pulled back and handed me the flowers. "I wanted to thank you for saving my life. I was at a low, and I felt like I was better off dead."

"How are you feeling now?"

His smile faded. "I'm really at a loss. My marriage is over. My kids hate me, and I need a job. I started going to a support group, and they suggested I start celebrating life by thanking the beautiful lady that gave it back to me."

"Mattie, I'm just glad I got to you on time."

"I'm so sorry I hurt you."

"It's okay. As it turns out, my visit to the hospital was life changing. I found out I'm going to have a baby." I said it with as much excitement as I could muster considering I was still a little shocked and a lot scared.

"Really? Wow! Congratulations!"

I happened to look over at Connie, and she was hanging on his every movement, his every word. I had never seen her look at anyone like that before. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was infatuated. I had known Connie for four years on a personal level and I knew she wasn't married, but she never said much about her social life other than she had a date. I remember once entertaining the thought that she might be gay.

Vinnie walked in the door. Instead of the usual greeting one might expect from a normal human being, he grimaced and said flatly, "Is this your replacement?"

It was like a light bulb went on. I turned to Connie. "What do you think?"

"You're asking me if I would mind looking at that every day?"

"Well, yes."

"Come to Mama!"

Lula burst into the door and everyone turned their attention to her. She was wearing a pastel pink spandex skirt with hot pink suspenders over a white top that probably would have fit me before she stretched it out with her double 'D' breasts. She was carrying two large pizzas, a twelve pack of wings, and a six pack of sodas.

Mattie rushed forward to take the boxes from her hands. Lula's eyes opened wide. "Wow! Who's the hottie?"

He placed the boxes on Connie's desk and thrust his hand out to Lula. "Mateo DeNunzio."

"This is the prom date that you did the nasty with? I'll tell you what, with the exception of Dickhead Orr, you've done all right," Lula commented.

Mattie looked nervous. "It wasn't like that. I cared very much for Stephanie in those days."

"Thank you, Mattie." I stuck my tongue out at Lula.

I turned my attention back to Mattie. "I'd like to offer you a job."

"What kind of job?" he said cautiously.

"My job—as a bond enforcement agent."

"That sounds official. Why do you want to give me your job?"

"Joe Morelli is the father of my baby and…"

He cut me off. "Seriously? Joe Morelli? The guy that kept you from dating me for six months because he screwed up your head?"

I could feel my face burn red.

"That's the one!" Lula confirmed.

"Wow—is he going to take care of this baby or did he bail on you again?"

"He'll probably do a better job at raising the baby than I will," I said truthfully.

"You're not married, right? I mean your name is still Plum."

"The pizza is getting' cold!" Lula complained.

"Everyone sit—eat," Connie urged.

At that moment, my phone rang. It was Joe. I decided to take it outside.

"Hello?'

"Hey, cupcake. How are you feeling today?"

"I haven't thrown up, and I haven't been shot at, and your SUV is still in one piece. I'm having lunch with my prom date."

"From high school?"

"Yep."

"Are you shittin' me?"

"No, remember the guy who tried to hang himself the other day?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he took me to prom, and now I'm going to see if he wants my job."

"That's music to my ears."

"Good, because tomorrow I'm having lunch with Ranger."

Silence followed.

"Joe?"

I could tell he was counting to ten before answering—okay maybe twenty.

"Joe, we're meeting in the mall in public, and he is going to give me some information about Richard Kaiser."

"Kaiser? He's dangerous. You stay away from him."

"He's my FTA."

"I don't care. Give him to someone else."

"Like who?"

He hung up.

"Shit!" I returned to the office and plopped on the couch with my arms folded.

"What's wrong princess?" Mattie asked.

"You and Morelli fighting again?" Lula concluded.

I took a deep breath. "He said he would marry me under two conditions."

"He gave you conditions? Love is supposed to be unconditional," Mattie declared.

"You don't understand Stephanie's life. It's not normal," Connie said in Joe's defense.

"Define not normal." He sounded just like a parent.

"In the last four years, she's been shot in the ass, and in the arm, too. She's been through more cars than I can count because they seem to have a tendency to blowup. Which reminds me? Why are you driving Joe's SUV?"

I pursed my lips. "Someone decided to turn it into a fireworks display last night."

"You see? That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Connie pointed out.

"He wants me to quit my job. He says I'm driving him to an early grave."

"Morelli's a cop, and he doesn't get shot at one tenth as many times as she does." Connie continued. "So, who blew up the car this time?"

"Well, I thought it was the big wig from Atlantic City, but Ranger thinks it might be Ricky the Fix. When I told Joe that I was meeting Ranger for lunch he was pissed, but when he found out I'm mixed up with Richard, he hung up on me."

"Wait, Morelli's a cop?" Mattie asked.

"Yes!" Connie and I said in unison.

"I know why he's pissed off about Ranger, but why is he pissed about Ricky the Fix?" Connie asked.

"Because I promised him I would only take 'non dangerous' FTA's until the wedding."

Lula had been shoving chicken wings into her face, but now she bounced off the chair. "Wedding? What wedding? Did he get down on one knee and ask you to marry him? Did you set a date?"

"No! And now he's pissed."

"So, who's this Ricky the Fix guy?"

"He's a drug dealer with a piece of shit house with a very sophisticated security system. He didn't appear for his court appearance, and I need to bring him in. Ranger says he's dangerous and so does Morelli.

"Who's Ranger?"

"Her other lover," Lula crooned.

"Whoa, what?" he demanded.

"It's complicated. I love Joe and he loves me. He just wants me to be safe. I just don't have anyone to give Ricky the Fix to."

Vinnie poked his head out of the door. "Maybe you can take your trainee with you and show him the ropes."

"He hasn't accepted the job yet," I replied.

"What does it pay?" Mattie asked.

"You get ten percent of whatever the bond is," I stated emphatically.

"So, what's this Ricky the Fix worth?"

I opened his file. "It says his bond is ten thousand, so he's worth…"

Mateo interrupted, "A thousand bucks for one guy?"

"One guy who doesn't want to go back to jail," I reminded him.

Lula looked out the window. "Oh shit."

Morelli had pulled up in his unmarked car. He stepped out and entered the office. He pointed at me. "You stay put!"

He stepped into Vinnie's office and slammed the door. What proceeded was a tirade that could be heard clear as day through the door. Joe basically threatened Vinnie that if one hair on my head was harmed by Richard Kaiser, he would have him arrested for endangering a minor. Now I don't know if this would hold up in a court of law, but Morelli was still screaming that he had a lot of nerve allowing the woman he loved to be out there chasing dangerous felons. Vinnie, dumb ass that he is, came back with, "It's not my fault you can't control your woman." It was silent in the room for a while. I wondered if he was strangling Vinnie.

Finally, Joe appeared. He was not smiling. He walked up to me. "I want you at my house at six o'clock. I want you wearing that red dress or something comparable, hair, make-up, the works. You got it?"

I swallowed hard. "I got it."

He grabbed my face and kissed me with force. He leaned his forehead against mine. "Hopefully, I won't have a heart attack before then."

He turned to walk away.

"Joe." I called out. "I'd like you to meet Mateo DeNunzio. He's going to work with me for a while to see if he wants the job."

Mattie extended his hand to Joe.

"Good luck. She's a handful." Joe warned.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that impression."


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, I have a lot to say. First of all, I had a great time in Jersey this weekend and I came within 10 miles of Trenton, while trying to get to the turnpike from Asbury Park. I thought of Stephanie, Joe, and Ranger.**

**I want to thank lilyloulove, milunababy. Chipperlu, and happyslappy818 for adding me to your alert list. I am honored, especially since I know you all are not really Morelli fans.**

**I want to thank Sidewalk7 and Princess Nixie for adding Plum Crazy to their list of Favorite stories. I am flattered beyond belief.**

**Tori, I wish you had an account so I could send private messages to you! I love that you are reading both Plum Crazy AND Nate's Diary. It's not easy writing both stories at the same time. But I love them both and I love you for being such a great fan!**

**Last, but not least, thank you Gracie2thumbs, Fair Tax Girl, Sophiepicklegirl for never failing to leave a review. You're awesome!**

I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

HAPPINESS AND FEAR

Marilyn Truro called me back and said the car was registered to Maria Kaiser and that the car was solely owned by her. There was no bank note on the car. I looked at Connie. "You know the house I asked you to check on?"

"You mean the one owned by Maria Kaiser?"

"Yeah, can you find out which bank is holding the mortgage on that house and how much it's worth?"

"I can try."

"As a matter of fact, can you do a full work up on her?"

"Sure. I'll have it for you tomorrow."

I turned to Mateo. "These are the FTA's I'd like to try and get tomorrow if you want to come with me." I pulled the folders from my purse. "I tried to get Darrell Hawkins today at his work, but he wasn't there. They said his grandmother died and they were burying her today."

"Did you check the newspaper to see if it was true?" Mattie asked.

"Oh, he's good," Lula replied.

"What if she doesn't live around here?" I responded.

"I say we go see if he's home," Mattie said dryly.

He seemed very sure of himself for a guy who was ready to off himself a few days ago.

"Okay, we can check out his apartment if you want."

"So, how do we do this? You have a gun?"

"I have a gun. It's at home."

"She never uses it. She always says, 'Lula, no shooting! We're just going to explain the situation'."

Mateo gave me a look of disdain. "If you want people to take you seriously, you need to learn how to use whatever you can to make your point. No one is going to take you pay attention if you walk up and talk to them without brandishing a gun."

"Do you have a license to carry?" I asked.

"I used to. My wife doesn't like guns, and when the kids started coming, she forbade me to keep a gun in the house, so I let my license lapse."

"Well this guy isn't known to carry a weapon. I think we can accomplish this with either pepper spray or a stun gun," I pressed.

"Okay, load me up. What's this guy worth anyway?"

"Dinner for two."

He smiled and those dimples appeared reminding me of Diesel.

"Are you offering?" he asked.

"No, I have a date for tonight. You might ask Connie, though."

He looked over at Connie as if noticing her for the first time. "Whadya say, Connie? If we bring this guy in, dinner's on me?" he asked.

"Ha-ha. I'll be ready for you in a about a week," she quipped.

"Why a week?"

Lula stepped forward. "Because it usually takes her three or four tries to bring in an FTA, and half the time, she enlists help from Ranger."

"Again with this Ranger guy."

"He's my mentor," I explained.

"And her lover," Lula added.

Now here's the thing. My stress level was maxed out, and the last thing I wanted to hear was Lula's big mouth. I usually allowed her to blabber whatever she wanted, but my pregnant self lost it.

I glared at her. "Shut—up, Lula!"

Lula stood up straight and adjusted her shirt. "Hmmph! See if I take you to Pino's anymore."

The tears burst from my cheeks.

"Princess, don't cry," Mattie said as he pulled me into his arms.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm not usually like this," I lamented.

"It's just your hormones playing with you. My wife used to cry at the drop of a hat when she was pregnant with my oldest."

Lula came forward. "I'm sorry. I won't call Ranger your lover no more."

"Thanks," I said wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Let's go pick up Darrell," he urged as he squeezed my shoulders.

We pulled up to Darrell's apartment. He lived in a garden apartment on the first floor. Mattie suggested that we check out the back in case he tried to bail out the back door. There was a sliding glass door that led to a little patio. We devised a plan. I would knock on the front door and deliver my spiel. If he refused to come, I would tell him that I could wait all night. Hopefully, he would take off out the back door, and Mattie could apprehend him there.

It sounded perfect.

I knocked on the door. There was no answer, but I could hear the TV inside. I knocked again. A young African American man answered the door. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts that had been pushed down to expose his boxers underneath. He was not wearing a shirt. He was, to say the least, physically fit.

"Darrell Hawkins?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Hello. My name is Stephanie Plum. I am a bond enforcement agent for Vincent Plum. You missed your court date."

"Yeah, my grandmother died."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, but if you could just accompany me downtown…"

He slammed the door in my face.

I wasn't going to give up. I knocked on the door again.

"I'm not leaving!" I yelled.

My phone rang. "Hello?"

"I got him! Get back here!"

I took off running towards the corner of the building when all of a sudden I saw Darrell sprint out the front door to his car. I was too far away to catch him. "Damn it!" He drove out of the parking lot and he was gone. I wondered who Mattie had accosted in the back. I trudged back there, and he had what looked to be a younger brother handcuffed to the ground. He was sputtering and cursing that we had the wrong man.

"Uncuff him," I ordered.

"What? Why?"

"That's not him. You've got the wrong guy. I'm pretty sure that's his brother."

"You're kidding me?"

"I keep trying to tell you. I'm Davon. I'm going to press charges."

"Go ahead. It was a case of mistaken identity. The charges will never hold up in court. Besides, her fiancé is a cop," Mattie announced with an heir of superiority. He pulled Davon to his feet and uncuffed him. "Tell your brother we'll be back tomorrow, and we'll be bringing reinforcements. If he doesn't cooperate, he won't be bonded out again."

I was blown away by his assertiveness. He gestured to me to precede him as we left the grounds of the apartment complex.

Mattie got into the driver's side of the SUV. I knocked on the window. He rolled it down.

"Excuse me, that's my car."

"Technically, it's Morelli's car. Just get in."

"Why are you being such an ass?" I said as I got into the passenger seat.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not very good at failure, and it seems like lately, it defines my life."

"Welcome to my world. I keep trying to do the right thing, and all I do is make Joe crazy. I'm surprised he still wants to marry me. Why do I sabotage myself?"

"Maybe you don't really want to marry him."

I could feel the bile rise up in my throat. "Pull over! I'm going to be sick!"

He pulled over, and I barely got the door open before the pizza I had eaten for lunch was in the gutter. I climbed back into the SUV and shut the door.

"Are you all right?"

"You're wrong," I cried.

"About what?"

"I love Morelli. I've loved him since he wrote that poem about me in high school. I want to marry him. I just want it to be on my terms."

"And what are your terms?"

"I don't mind quitting my job. I know it's for the best, but I want to work for Ranger. Joe says I can't."

"Look, I don't know who this guy is that seems to be so important to you, but your husband should trust you."

"Like you trusted your wife?"

"Look, I had thirteen good years with her. Regardless of what happened, I would never want to change that. She hurt me bad, but I can't force her to love me. Morelli can't force you to love him or to stop loving this Ranger guy. You have to make your own decisions. Just think of it this way, do you believe that if the shoe was on the other foot, that Ranger would be all hyped up in you remaining friends with Morelli?"

"No, probably not. Joe's been really trusting of me, and I broke that trust."

Mattie chuckled. "And he still wants you. Imagine that."

He was right. I had given Morelli more grief and worry than any man should have to endure in a lifetime, and yet, he still loved me. "I need to get home. I need to look perfect for the man I love."

"Your wish is my command."

I pulled up to Joe's house at five minutes to six. I was wearing the sexy red dress that Joe had requested with four inch shit kicker heels. My hair fell in loose curls over my shoulders. My lips matched my dress, and I had so much water proof mascara on, I couldn't close my eyes. I was as hot as I was gonna get. I was nervous. He hadn't called me since the episode at the bond office. Maybe he changed his mind.

I walked bravely up to the door. Should I knock or should I just walk in? I decided to enter, but I called out to him as soon as I opened the door. Suddenly, Bob was galloping towards me. He was going to knock me to the floor.

"Bob, no!" I held out my hands in an attempt to keep him at bay. At the last second, I pushed myself up against the wall, and bob slammed into the front door. BAM! I crouched down to his level and rubbed his neck in a move that would keep him from tearing into my stockings. "You're a good boy." Bob wagged his tail happily and took off for the living room. I stood up. "Joe?"

"I'll be right down!" he called from upstairs.

I stood in the living room to wait. My heart was palpitating. I heard his footsteps as he approached the stairs. He was just putting on his jacket as he took the first step. He looked like perfection. He had gotten his hair cut, and his suit was perfectly pressed. It was coal grey with a black shirt, and lighter grey tie. I swallowed hard. He was smiling.

At the bottom step, he crossed the room to me and stopped to admire me. "You look so good I don't want to leave the house," he said as he licked his lips.

"We could stay in," I said seductively.

"Tempting, but I have reservations, and I'm looking forward to showing you off."

He kissed me tenderly. "Shall we?"

He took me to Aldo's Restaurant. It was owned by a family who passed it down from generation to generation and had moved its location twice in the last hundred years. It was the kind of place that you took your wife for her anniversary. It was rare you saw a child in this establishment. It reeked of ambiance. Dinner was generally by candlelight and soft music played in the background. Gold ornamentation lined the walls. The waiters wore black tie. Dinner here would run you a buck. This was the kind of place I could see Ranger being comfortable in. On a normal day, Morelli would seem out of place but tonight—tonight, he looked regal. Joe left the SUV to valet parking and took my arm as he led me into the restaurant.

I immediately realized that I was surrounded by my family and friends. My parents we seated at a table for two as were Valerie and Albert. I could see Joe's mother seated at a table for two with Grandma Bella. His sister, Cathy, and her husband were right next to his mom. Grandma Mazur was sitting with Lula. Oh my god, Lula! She was dressed in a dress that actually covered most of her body. She looked like Queen Latifah on the red carpet. Anthony and his wife, Angelina, had a table and so did Mooch and his wife. The big shock of the night was seeing Connie with none other than Mattie. I got the feeling that I had been had.

Joe pulled me to the center of the room. My legs were shaking so bad I was afraid I might collapse. Joe knelt down on one knee in front of me. He took my hand in his as he spoke.

"Stephanie, I've known you my whole life. I think I've spent half my life wishing I never met you and the other half hoping I never lose you. I only know that you've turned my life upside down, and I love you more than I could ever imagine. My greatest fear is that one day I'll wake up and you'll be gone." His voice went soft as if he was suppressing the sadness he didn't want to feel. "Stephanie Michelle Plum, will you allow me to love you for the rest of my life?"

I sucked in my lower lip and smiled at him. "You brought me here to ask me to marry you in front of all these people because you were afraid I'd say 'no'?"

"I didn't ask you to marry me, but now that you mention it…"

I cut him off and blurted it out. "Joseph, I'll marry you."

He laughed. "Cupcake, you have to let me ask you."

I sucked in my breath, and the first tear escaped. I was scared to death that sanity would overtake him, and he would run screaming into the night.

"Stephanie, if you marry me, you will make me so happy, and I promise to be a good husband and a good father, and I'll even change diapers." He pulled the box from his pocket and took the ring from its velvet bed. "Steph, will you marry me?"

The water works ensued. I started to jump up and down. "Yes!"

The crowd erupted in approval. He slid the ring on my finger and rose to his feet. He took my chin in his hand and slowly pressed his lips to mine. I felt dizzy. I lost my balance, and Joe had to grab me before I went down.

"Steph, are you okay?"

"Just a little dizzy—maybe I should sit."

He scooped me into his arms and carried me to my chair and sat me down. My mother was there in a minute.

"I'm okay, Mom. I just need to eat."

Joe grabbed a piece of bread that was placed on the tables. "Here, eat this. It will help."

I placed my hand on his face. "I love you."

"Eat."

My mother went back to her seat. Joe slid his chair, so it was next to me and sat down. He draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into him. The waiter came and took our drink order and announced that he would be bringing antipasto out right away. He returned with a plate filled with colorful foods.

"This is our signature antipasto. Clockwise from the roasted carrots, we have prosciutto, pepperocini stuffed with anchovies, provolone, sopressata salami, olives, and pecorino cheese."

"Wow! That's a lot of food."

"I suppose we could fill your fridge with the leftovers. You might want to stay away from the pepperocini, though," Joe replied.

I took a piece of everything, and began nibbling on the cheese. I looked at ring for the first time.

"It's so beautiful!" I crooned. The ring was at least a half carat square diamond in a white gold setting. It was flanked by a smaller diamond on each side and diamond chips in the band.

"When my aunt died, she left me a chunk of money with the house. I started looking and I liked this ring, so I bought it. When things went south for us, I put it away. I hoped this day would come."

"It's so big!"

"Sweetheart, you knew that a long time ago. Now, is not the time to brag," he joked.

I swung at him, but he pulled away from my reach and laughed.

"Seriously, the diamond in the center is .66 carats. The total diamond weight is just over a carat."

"Well, I love it."

"And I love you."

I turned and let him kiss me again. As we finished the kiss, my parents were both standing with us. "Congratulations!" my father said. Joe got up and hugged each of my parents. My parents were comfortable with Joe. He had been like a part of the family for the last few years.

As my parents returned to their seat, Joe's mother and grandmother approached the table. I stood, and Joe held my arm as a protective measure. Mrs. Morelli pulled me into her bony arms and hugged me tightly. "It is good that you will finally be part of this family," she said. Grandma Bella didn't hug me. Instead, she kissed me on each cheek. "This baby will be a boy. I know it." She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. "I don't want you to worry about the cost of the wedding. I am giving you this. It's twenty thousand dollars. Use it as you wish."

"Oh my god!" I gushed, as I raised my hand to my mouth.

"Grandma, this is too much!" Joe objected.

"Don't make me give you the eye. I am old and when I die, you will all be fighting for my inheritance. This, I can give you now. You have been a good grandson, and you make me proud to call you a Morelli."

Joe hugged his grandmother. "Thank you," he said in a soft voice.

After that, each of the other tables took turns to come up and congratulate us. Valerie said she would be happy to help me plan the wedding.

The food started coming, and it was a fabulous feast. They started with Pasta Fagioli. It was the perfect blend of sausage, pasta, tomatoes, and beans in a tasty broth. I could have eaten a whole pot of it, but Joe reminded me that the Italians could eat eight courses.

My eyes blew up like saucers. "There's not eight courses coming, is there?"

"No, of course not. There's only six, although the main course consists of three dishes," he grinned, as he said it.

"So, the antipasto was…"

"First course—appetizer. Second was the soup."

"What's next?"

I barely got the words out when the waiters brought out the salad. He also brought a bottle of Chianti. Joe placed his hand over the top of my wine glass. "She's drinking iced tea."

The waiter looked at me and then nodded at Joe. "Very good, sir."

He finished pouring Joe a glass of the wine. "I'm pregnant!" I blurted out.

He nodded to me. "Congratulations to you both."

I beamed at him. "Thank you!"

Joe kissed my cheek. "I can't believe I am finally going to be a father."

"I can't believe I'm finally going to be a wife."

"You already were a wife."

"Hard to count five months as a marriage. Dickie and I were engaged for longer than that."

He smiled. "You gave me the perfect segue for my next question."

"What's that?"

"How long do you want to be engaged?"

I looked at my watch. "How about ten minutes?"

He suppressed a laugh.

"Seriously, I mean you _are_ pregnant. I was hoping we might be married before the baby comes."

"I was hoping we'd be married before I start showing," I countered.

The waiter came and took the salad plates away.

Lula bounced out of her chair. "This is the best meal! Thank you for inviting me to your little party. Morelli, you're a real class act."

The waiter brought out a large plate of calamari and red sauce.

"Joe, you are going to have to carry me into my apartment."

Lula rushed back to her seat and began inhaling the breaded squid. Good thing Grandma Mazur wasn't a big eater.

I looked over at my mother and she was crying. Oh boy. I can just imagine what she was thinking. _My wayward daughter is finally getting married. So what if she had to get knocked up for him to ask her to marry him. He's a good guy, right?_

Maybe that's the only reason he asked me. My face fell at the thought that Morelli was only in it for the baby.

"What's wrong, Steph?"

"Are you sure you want to marry me?"

He took my left hand in his and kissed it. "Stephanie, I've never been surer of anything in my life. My fear is that you don't really want me."

At that moment the main course came out. He was right—about the food. There were three entrees on the plate, lasagna, which was Aldo's signature dish, veal parmesan, which was Joe's favorite dish, and fettuccine. Fettuccine was one of my favorite dishes, if it was made right, and Aldo's fettuccine was the bomb.

"Oh my God, Joe! This is so much food," I gasped. "Who's paying for all this?"

"I am. I set this up. It's my dime."

"There are eighteen people here!"

"Sweetheart, you are not my wife yet. I, I mean _we,_ already own a house, and the wedding's paid for. I can afford a twelve hundred dollar dinner."

"Twelve hundred dollars!"

"Shhh, it's okay," he assured me.

"Joe, I…"

He leaned in and kissed me long and hard to shut me up. I felt like mush. "You hungry?" he whispered. I knew he wasn't talking about food.

"Starving," I whispered back.

He gave me a knowing smile. "You see? This is what I love about you. You're always hungry."

"And you are always willing to feed me," I shot back.

After dinner, the waiter brought out Tiramisu and a choice of coffee or espresso. I wanted the espresso, but I settled for the coffee. Everyone was milling about and chatting. Every single person who approached us asked when the wedding would be. Joe's standard answer was "The sooner, the better".

Valerie ordered me and Joe to join them tomorrow at my mother's for dinner. Valerie wanted me there as early as possible. She said we couldn't plan anything until we found a hall. It was the first order of business, and she was going to get on it ASAP.

Connie and Mattie seemed quite content to be by themselves. I thought it was so ironic—the turn of events that brought them together.

As we all left the restaurant, the rain began to fall. The men each ran to their cars and pulled up to the front door of the restaurant to retrieve their loved ones. Joe had used valet parking, but Lula had parked across the street. Joe offered to run to her car and retrieve it for her. It would have been a tragedy to see her run to her car in her muted pink gown. She actually looked quite classy.

On the way home I was quiet because I was contemplating the craziness that was about to take place.

Joe broke the silence. "Are you mad at me?"

"For what?"

"For popping the question in front of our families?"

"No, I thought it was sweet."

He reached out and held my hand. "Do you want to stay with me tonight?"

"No, I think I should go home."

"I thought you were starving."

I squeezed his hand. "At least let me stop home to get some clothes and pick up the Porsche."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have any clothes at your house. You boxed them up and left them with Connie, remember?"

"Right, but why the Porsche? Ranger not able to keep his finger on you?"

"That's not fair."

"You know what's not fair? You seeing him when I asked you not to. You could have gone out with anyone. Why him?"

"I'm not going to argue with you about this."

"How would you like it if I slept with Joyce or better yet, Terry Gilman?"

"Excuse me, but were you not going to go out with Joyce just the other night?"

"I wouldn't have slept with her."

I gripped my seat. "Bullshit!"

"Okay, you want me to come clean, I will."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "You slept with Joyce?"

"No. Terry."

I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I couldn't catch my breath.

"It was almost a year ago. We were broken up. You wanted your freedom."

I was quiet.

"Steph, it was only one time. Sleeping with her only made me realize how much I missed you. That's when I started hanging around you again. I was hoping I'd break down your defenses and get you back."

I had no right to be angry with him. After all, I had slept with Ranger how many times? Still, it hurt thinking of Terry Gilman kissing him, touching him in the ways that I did.

"I think I should stay at my apartment tonight," I croaked.

It was quiet in the car. Joe pulled into the parking lot to my apartment.

"I'll walk you up," he said quietly.

He walked next to me, but he didn't dare touch me. It was almost as if he knew that I was about to blow. The elevator doors opened and as we stepped out, we both laid eyes on a box in front of my door.

"Is that the box I gave you?"

"I don't think so."

"You stay here. I'll check it out," he ordered.

Joe approached the box cautiously. It wasn't completely closed. He knelt down and opened it.

"It's a broken surveillance camera."

"Richard Kaiser's," I answered too soon.

Joe pulled a magazine from the box. He flipped through it. "Fuck. No!"

"What?" I asked.

He placed his thumb on forefingers on either side of his forehead and rubbed his temples.

"What?" I reiterated.

I walked forward and grabbed the magazine from his hand.

It was a porno magazine. On the cover in red marker it said, 'see page 114'. I flipped quickly to the page. There was a pregnant woman riding some guy. The picture of my head from the flyers Vinnie had made was taped on top of the pregnant woman's body, and Richard Kaiser's head was taped on top of the man's body.

Joe stood up. "That son-of-a-bitch wants you."

I was fighting back the tears.

He was wearing his serious cop face. "I want you to stay with me."

"Okay." I wasn't going to fight him on this.

"And I want you in that Porsche. I don't care what Ranger's motives are. I want you safe."

"Okay." The tears spilled over onto my cheeks. He pulled me tightly into his arms.

"I don't know how to protect you," he whispered.

"I need to bring him in," I said bravely. "I think whatever he's mixed up in is more than just petty drug dealing. That's why I'm meeting with Ranger tomorrow."

"What are you basing this on?"

I opened the door to the apartment. Morelli entered before me, flipped on the light, and surveyed the room.

"I don't know. It's just a feeling. I mean, don't you think this camera is little sophisticated for his job description?"

"Maybe he's dealing more than a little weed."

"And there's something else." I paused while Joe inspected the rest of the apartment. "He drives an old clunker around here, but he's got a brand new corvette he keeps in a storage unit. I saw him drive into the place in the old car and come out in the Vette. I followed him to nice ranch house in Morristown."

"And?"

"And everything belongs to his mother. I've got Connie doing a check on her, and Ranger is looking into the girls he's supposedly raped."

"I don't want you near this guy. Let Ranger handle it."

"It's not his case. He's just helping me."

"You're killing me, Stephanie!"

"I didn't mean to get mixed up in this. I thought he would be an easy pick up. Now, I'm in this, and I want to see it through."

"I could tie you to my bed." He should have been joking but he was dead serious.

"Right, and then you'd have to go to work. Then what?"

"I'd leave tied up nice and safe."

"Gee, wouldn't that be convenient for Ricky. He could waltz right into your house and get me right where he wants me. Why don't you just put a friggin' red bow on me?"

"What do you want me to say, Steph? I don't want you putting yourself in danger!"

"It doesn't matter where I put myself! I went after him before I found out I was pregnant. I pissed him off, and now he's got some sick obsession with me. Even if I completely back out of bounty hunting, he knows where I live. He knows about you and the baby. He's not going to back down."

"That's just fucking fantastic!" Joe bellowed in utter frustration.

"Listen, Mattie will be working with me, and as long as I use the Porsche, Ranger can monitor me as well. I'll be all right."

"You call me every hour, on the hour. You hear me?"

"Joe, I've been stalked by killers before."

"This guy doesn't want to kill you. He wants to rape you. I've seen what rape can do to a woman—and I know what it will do to me to know that he's forced his way inside you."

"Okay! Can we just go back to your place and try to enjoy this night?"

"It's _our _place, and I'm feeling a little nauseous."

"That's my shtick."

"It was my shtick long before you ever got pregnant."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He was still tense, so I went for his neck. I dotted his neck with soft kisses, and then I bit him playfully.

"Feeling better?"

"I'm gettin' there."


	8. Chapter 8

**I want you all to know that I spent pretty much the entire weekend trying to play catch up with this story and also Nate's Diary. I'm amazed that I was able to pull it off. **

**Welcome Jillian Peters and BingChiLing. Glad to hear your thoughts. And Tori, keep talking. You are doing splendidly! And to my regulars, I always appreciate your reviews.**

**I wish that others would take the time to express their opinions and feelings about the story. Sometimes, I feel like I'm writing the story for five people because they are the ones I hear from. It's a little frustrating writing 5000 words and getting no words in return.**

**I hope whoever is reading it is at least liking the story….**

FULL MOON

I woke up feeling refreshed. Joe was gone. Bob was lying on the bed in Joe's spot. Last night we had sex at my place, and then we came back here where he switched it up and made love to me. When I thought about it, being tied to the bed as his sex slave wasn't such a bad thing really—at least for a few days…

I was reveling in the memory of last night when my phone rang, snapping me back to the present. I reached to the nightstand and picked it up. It was Joe.

"Good morning!" I crooned.

"Well you sound happy."

"I was laying here thinking about my handsome fiancé and how happy he made me last night."

He was silent for a few beats, obviously relishing in his own memory. "Yeah."

Another few moments of silence. "What are your plans for today?"

"I'm going to go down to the office and see what Connie dug up. I want to pick up Darrell Hawkins."

"Who's Darrell Hawkins?"

"He was picked up for possession on a traffic stop. He works at the Fuji factory. I'll take Mattie with me. We tried to get him at his house yesterday, but he pulled a bait and switch on me. We took down his brother."

"I want a call every hour, you hear me?"

"Yes, honey," I joked.

"I have to go. I love you."

I showered and dressed. Bob was jumping up and down when I took his leash from the coat rack by the door. I snapped it onto his collar and headed out the door. I figured a quick walk around the block would make him happy, and it couldn't hurt me to get a little exercise. As soon as I hit the street, I saw what I assumed was a Rangeman SUV following me as I walked. I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Ranger.

"Yo."

"Why is there a Rangeman following me?"

"Special request."

"Morelli?"

"He called me first thing this morning."

"What did he say?"

"He said he'd pay for my services."

"No! He can't afford to pay you!"

"Relax. This is my dime. Are we still meeting for lunch?"

"One o'clock at Jason's Deli, right?"

"Right, you need anything, Hal is with you."

"Thanks."

I finished walking Bob and headed for the bond office. I parked around back, so I wouldn't have to hear crap about the fact that I was driving Ranger's Porsche. I opened the door. Connie was on the phone, and Mattie was sitting on the fake leather couch.

"You're late!" he barked.

"Excuse me?" I replied.

"It's ten after nine." _What is he—my mother?_

"And?" I glared at him.

"And I've been here since eight-thirty."

"And your point?"

"If you want me to work with you, you need to be on time."

Lula walked in at that moment—the moment I lost my rock happy mind.

"You know what? I don't punch a time clock, and the last time I checked, you weren't my boss. You want the job? Take it! I quit!" I had been pacing the floor. Now, I turned to face him directly. "No wonder your wife cheated on you. You're a tyrant!"

"Oh no she didn't!" Lula bellowed.

The expression on Mattie's face changed from one of disdain to complete anger. He jumped off the couch. Connie shot out of her chair and got between us. I was ready to rumble.

"Now, let's all calm down," she said as she placed her hands on Mattie's shoulders.

"Forget it! I'm outta here! My fiancé is getting an ulcer as it is. I've got Richard Kaiser sending me doctored porno magazines showing me screwing him. I don't need this shit!"

Mateo relaxed, and the anger in his eyes was replaced with empathy. "Whoa! Calm down, princess. I didn't know."

"It's always like this for me. Most of them just want to kill me. This guy wants to make me his sex slave. I can't deal with another psycho like Benito Ramirez!"

"The boxer?"

"Yeah, the boxer. That crazy bastard nearly killed Lula!"

"I need to go to the bathroom," Lula sputtered as she bolted from the room.

"He left her for dead tied to my fire escape after he tortured her," I explained after Lula left the room.

"Jesus. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Lula, and I'm sorry I came down on you so hard. It's just that I'm used to being at school at seven o'clock."

"Well, I'm not. I'm up late, and I like to sleep in."

"Are we still friends?" He held out his arms to welcome me.

Connie got behind me and shoved me toward him. He engulfed me, and at that moment, the tears I had been holding back in anger exploded onto my cheeks.

"It's okay. Everything will work out. You'll see. You want to go to breakfast?"

Lula flew out of the bathroom. "I do! They just opened up a new Denny's on Broad Street," Lula blurted out.

Mattie looked at Connie. "You want to join us?"

"I can't. I have to stay here until Vinnie gets back. He's down at the courthouse."

"We could wait," he offered.

"No, I'm good. I don't usually eat breakfast. I wouldn't want to get fat."

He flashed a broad smile. "No, we wouldn't want that."

Lula interrupted their moment. "Let's go. I'll drive."

We all marched out to Lula's firebird and climbed in. I waved to Hal in the SUV.

"Who's that?" Mattie asked.

"My protection."

"Protection? From what?"

"Richard Kaiser," I said flatly.

"That's one of Ranger's guys," Lula explained. "Stephanie calls him Halosaurus on account of he's built like a freakin' dinosaur."

"Ranger, again," Mattie replied.

"He's in security."

"Hmm."

When we pulled into Denny's parking lot, I walked over to Hal. "You want to join us?"

"I don't know if I should."

"Richard's not going to try anything in a public place."

Hal thought about it for a few beats. "I think I'll pass."

I rolled my eyes. I pulled out my phone and punched Ranger on my contacts.

"Babe."

"Hi," I said sweetly.

"You're not going to cancel on me, are you?"

"No chance of that. I'm at Denny's. Can Hal come in and eat with us?"

"That's up to him."

"He won't. And I know it's because he's afraid you'll get pissed and fire him."

"Babe, he's on the job."

"You're impossible; you know that?"

"I'm disciplined, and so is Hal."

I hung up on him. I stomped off to the restaurant. Hal followed me, but he stood in the vestibule, gun strapped to his leg, and his huge granite arms folded tightly across his chest. He was able to keep an eye on me and the vehicles at the same time.

The three of us slid into a booth.

"Is he just going to stand there?" Mattie asked.

"Yep. Ranger's a worse tyrant than you."

Mattie creased his brow. "And you like this guy." It wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"Ranger's hot as hell. Muy caliente!" Lula trilled.

"Lula!" I scolded.

"Well he is!" she reiterated.

"Joe is hot," I said defensively.

"No argument there. He's got the tightest ass on the force."

"Jesus, Lula!"

"Well, he does!"

The waitress interrupted Lula's dribble to take our orders. I ordered a meal for me and a ham and egg sandwich with an apple juice to go.

Mattie leaned toward Lula. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

She shot him a look. "I ain't a 'ho' anymore, if that's what you're gonna ask. If you want this…" Lula said as she slid her hands seductively over her breasts. "You need to ask me out on a date—and no cheap date neither."

Oh boy. Poor Mattie. He looked like a deer in headlights. I had to rescue him.

"Lula, Mattie isn't looking to date anyone. He told me yesterday that he's hoping to get back with his wife."

Mattie exhaled sharply, and the color returned to his face. I turned my attention back to him. "Now, what was it you wanted to ask Lula?"

"Um—I just wanted to know why you always wear pink."

"Well, in the beginning, I decided to through what I call my pink phase, but now I wear it because Stephanie is going to have girl, and she needs to know how to dress. Look at Stephanie. I love her, but she has no fashion sense. Now look at me. I am the total diva—don't you think?"

Mattie looked at me with pure terror in his eyes.

I chuckled. "Hey, she's right. All babies wear spandex. How else would you get their pants over a diaper?"

"Excuse me! My ass is perfect!" she shot back.

Normally I would shut my mouth, but I was feeling ornery. "Excuse me; I'm the one with the perfect ass. Just ask Morelli—or Ranger!"

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"LADIES!" Mattie interrupted. "You are both lovely. Can we just have a peaceful breakfast?"

"Fine," I barked.

"Real men love my ass," Lula mumbled.

When our order came up, I got up and marched over to Hal, who was still standing stoically in the hall. I kissed him on the cheek and handed him the bag and the drink. "Eat it while it's hot," I insisted.

He smiled. "Thank you."

After breakfast, we ditched Lula and took Mattie's Dodge Charger to the Fuji plant. Hal was still behind us.

"Okay, Darrell works in the back near the receiving dock. I have a plan, and I think it just might work," Mattie exclaimed.

"Oh boy."

"Last time, you went to the front, and we figured he'd bail out the back. If I go in the front, he's going to assume you are in the back. I think he'll go out the back because he'll figure he can get past you. All you have to do is hit him with the stun gun. Don't even think about it. Just do it."

"Okay, I'll do it." It sounded like a good plan.

Mattie pulled up to the front of the building. I got out and walked around to the back. As usual, I was unprepared for the task, but Mattie had the forethought to commandeer a stun gun and cuffs for me from the office. I stood on the ramp that led from the back door of the loading dock. I was ready. Hal had driven around to the back of the building. He was standing in the bay of the loading dock.

My phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket. It was Joe.

"Hello?"

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Darrell had his arms folded like a battering ram. He knocked me on my ass. The phone and stun gun both flew off in different directions. Darrell jumped the railing. He thought he was home free. He landed in the bay on all fours. As he stood up he ran right smack into Halosaurus. I watched as Hal clamped his arm around Darrell's neck in a choke hold. Darrell let out a squeak and crumbled to the pavement. At the moment, Mattie came running out.

"Did you stun him?"

"No, he plowed into me," I said, as I crawled to my feet.

"You're bleeding," he said, as he examined my arm.

"Yeah, go help Hal."

"I don't think Hal needs any help."

"Where do you want him?" Hal called out.

"I'll take him," Mattie replied. He took my hand, raised my arm, and inspected my elbow. "That looks bad. We should take you to get checked out."

"No, I'm sure it looks worse than it is."

Mattie and I walked over to Hal.

"I've got an emergency kit in the SUV," Hal said just as his phone chirped. Mattie pulled the handcuffed Darrell off the blacktop. Hal answered the phone. "Yes, boss?"… He went on to explain to Ranger the situation and the injury I sustained while I went off to retrieve my phone and my stun gun. The phone didn't survive the assault. The screen was cracked. I walked back to Hal as he finished up the call. He didn't look happy. "You need to call Morelli."

"I thought you were talking to Ranger."

"I was. You were talking to Morelli when your FTA knocked the phone out of your hand. He tried to call you back. When you didn't answer, he called Ranger."

"Oh boy."

Hal handed me the phone. "Let's get you back to the SUV, so I can tend to your elbow."

"Is Ranger angry?"

"Not at you."

"He shouldn't be mad at you."

"You got hurt. It's my fault."

I dialed Ranger. "Babe, you're supposed to be calling Morelli."

"It's not Hal's fault I got hurt. I was doing my job."

"We'll talk about it later. Call Morelli." He disconnected.

"God! When did he become such a jerk?"

Hal didn't answer me. He cleaned up the blood on my arm. He poured peroxide on it and bandaged it. I hugged him which took him by surprise. Hal was younger than me by nearly ten years. "I think you are doing a great job," I said as I walked away.

Mattie drove to the police station while I called Joe. He answered abruptly. "What the hell happened?"

"I got knocked down, and I dropped the phone."

"Jesus, Steph! You said you weren't going to do anything dangerous!"

"Well I was supposed to stun him, but you called and took my attention away from what I was supposed to be doing."

"So this is my fault?"

"Technically, yes."

"You were supposed to call me, and you didn't."

"Joe, you have Ranger's man watching me. I don't think I should have to check in with you every hour."

"Fine! Don't call me at all!" He hung up.

I turned to Mattie. "Is there a full moon tonight?"

"I gather he's pissed," Mattie surmised.

"I've managed to piss off every guy I care about including you."

"I'm not mad at you."

"You were this morning."

We pulled into the station, and I saw Joe's unmarked vehicle in the parking lot. It figures he'd be here. I led Mattie and Darrell to the desk and showed Mattie the procedure for getting a body receipt. As I turned around, I saw Joe standing in the hall with his hands folded tightly against his chest. I had two ways to go with this. I could confront him and play the bitch or I could kiss up to him. I remembered something my mother used to say, 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'. I approached him, and I was about to hug him when he grabbed my arm and inspected the bandage.

"It's not that bad," I said in my defense.

"You're killing me, Stephanie."

I turned on the bedroom eyes and placed my hands solidly on his chest. "Do you still want me?"

He grimaced. "Yeah, I still want you." He looked past me, and I could only assume we were being watched. He kissed my forehead. "Try to stay out of trouble."

"I'm going to have lunch with Ranger."

"Like I said, try to stay out of trouble."

Mattie and I drove back to the office. "Who else are we going to bring in today?"

"I have a meeting. After that, I have some surveillance to do."

"What about me?" he asked.

"Why don't you take Connie out to lunch?"

"You think she'll go out with me?"

"She brought you last night, didn't she?"

"Yeah, I think that was because she didn't want to get stuck with Vinnie."

"Maybe." We pulled up to the office. There were no parking spots available out front. "Pull around back," I suggested.

Mattie drove around back and pulled up next to the Porsche.

"Somebody's here," he declared.

"How do you know?"

"Look at that Porsche."

"That's my car."

"You _own _a Porsche?"

"No, it's a loaner."

"Who would loan you a Porsche?"

I just stared at him.

"Oh…"

We entered the office, and Connie smiled brightly. She was wearing a tight plum colored top the showed just enough cleavage without looking slutty. Her makeup was perfect right down to the bright red lipstick she often wore. I nudged Mattie in the ribs. His lips curled into a tiny smile. Mattie handed Connie the body receipt for Darrell Hawkins.

"Wow, you got him!"

"Technically, Ranger's guy got him," Mattie declared.

"Don't worry, you'll get him next time," Connie said cheerfully.

"Thanks. You still owe me a dinner though," Mattie said adamantly.

"Can't tonight," Connie replied. "Girl's night out."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she teased.

"Actually, I would. Maybe I can meet you there."

"No men allowed until after the show is over."

Lula piped up. "Connie's going to see some man-flesh! You go girl!"

"Figures. Decent guys never win. Maybe I should be more like Morelli."

My defenses kicked in. "Hey! Morelli's a decent guy. He may have been a wild kid, but he's better than all of us."

"Whatever," Mattie growled.

"Mateo?" Connie called over the ensuing argument.

"What?" he replied angrily.

"I'll go out with you tomorrow night, if you're not busy."

"It's Saturday. I'm supposed to see my kids."

"What about tomorrow night? Are you staying up all night with them?"

"No, but…"

"I get it. You really want to see your wife," she said flatly.

"It's not that. I don't want to make a promise I can't keep. Something could come up."

Connie shot him a smile. "Tell you what. Take my phone number. Call me if you feel like going out."

Connie scribbled her number onto a sticky note and handed it to Mateo. Mattie's mood changed from anger to acceptance. I decided to change the subject.

"Connie, did you get the info on Maria Kaiser?"

"Yes, here you go. And these two FTA's still need to be brought in." She handed me the folders. I sat on the couch to look them over. Mattie sat next to me, laid his arm across the back of the couch, and laid his head on my shoulder.

"You love me, right?" he said sweetly.

"Of course, I do. You're my 'matador'."

"Wow, I haven't heard that in forever. I used to love it when you called me that."

"I loved it when you tamed me," I teased.

He let out a playful growl. "You're still engaged, right?"

I held up my hand with the beautiful diamond. "Yup—and pregnant, too."

Mattie snapped his fingers. "Damn!"

I glanced up at Connie. She was acting as if she didn't hear us. I knew he said those things to make her jealous. It looked to me like she bought right into it.

"Do you want to see the FTA's?"

"Sure, puddin'."

"Stop that," I said sternly. 'Puddin' was Mateo's nickname for me. It was short for 'Plum Puddin'. "Now pay attention."

"Okay," he said. "Lay it on me."

"All right, first we have Michael Priest, age thirty eight, arrested for armed robbery. He held up a 7-11 with a .22 caliber gun. Turns out it wasn't even loaded. An off duty cop chased him down after he left the store."

"Does he have a job?"

"It says here that he lost his job three months ago, and his unemployment was taken away because he was reportedly working off the books. The company he was working for ditched him when they were reported."

"Sounds like this guy has been through some shit. No wonder he robbed a store."

"I don't know if we should go after this guy. I promised Morelli I would only take benign cases, and this guy sounds too desperate."

"How about we case him out and see if he's worth pursuing?" Mattie suggested. "You know, I'd be in the same boat, if it weren't for you." He kissed me on the cheek. The truth was he might possibly be dead if I hadn't gotten to him in time. Who knows if the ceiling fan would have come down before his heart ceased to function. The thought of it sent a shudder through my body. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're here with me—with us."

"Most of the time, I am, too." His arm dropped from the back of the couch to my shoulder, and he squeezed me to him.

Lula entered the office carrying a bunch of shopping bags. She dropped them on Connie's desk and stood quietly trying to catch her breath. I ignored the intrusion.

"It says here that he lives over on Henry Street. That's in the Burg."

"Let's do it."

"Later, I have a lunch date."

"Morelli?"

"No."

"Ah! The Ranger guy."

"It's a business lunch."

"I thought Lula was the prostitute."

"Excuse me!" Lula interjected. "I am a respectable file clerk, thank you. And when I was a prostitute, I was the best. Ask anyone."

"Anyone?" he teased.

"Shut up, Mateo! Go make up with Connie," I snapped. I shoved the Maria Kaiser folder in my bag, got off the couch, and headed for the back door. I turned back as I placed my hand on the doorknob. "And I am no one's prostitute!"

I eased the Porsche out onto the street, and Hal pulled in behind me. I pulled to the curb and got out. I walked up to Hal's shiny black SUV and got in.

"Why take two cars?" I declared.

"Beats me," Hal replied. "Where are we goin'?"

"To the mall and step on it. I'm supposed to meet your boss at one o'clock."

"You're going to be late."

"Yeah, well I don't work for him."

At that moment, Hal's phone chirped. He answered it. "Hello?" He held the phone out to me. "It's for you."

I took the phone. "Hello?"

"You're late."

I pulled out my sweet veneer. "Carlos, you know I'm not very disciplined."

He was silent for a few beats. "Babe."

My heart sped up. It always did when he called me 'Babe'. "Ten minutes, okay?"

He disconnected.

"You know I really hate that he never just says what he's feeling. I tell him ten minutes, and he hangs up. Does it mean he'll wait as long as it takes for me to get there? Or does it mean if I don't show in precisely ten minutes, he's going to bolt? Jesus, maybe he's not going to wait at all!"

Hal looked at me. "What do you think it means?"

"I'd like to think he misses me."

"Can you keep a secret?"

A secret about Ranger. My eyes blew up like saucers. I reeled in my excitement.

"Sure," I said calmly.

"He's been cranky since he found out you were pregnant."

"Cranky?"

"Abrupt," he clarified.

"He's always abrupt."

"This is different. He snapped at Tank yesterday for not backing into the parking space."

"Seriously? Ranger never loses his temper."

"Cranky."

"Thanks for the warning."

Hal walked me into the mall and to the restaurant. As soon as we cleared the door, I spotted Ranger sitting at a table with his back against the wall. A wave of relief washed over me.

"I'll wait for you outside," Hal declared.

I turned to hug him. "I still think you're doing a great job." His face turned a faint pink. I walked quickly to the table. I pulled the chair around to the side of the table, so I could sit next to Ranger as opposed to directly across from him. I retrieved the folder from my bag and slung the bag on the back of my chair. I sat and Ranger's eyes were dark as he watched my movements.

"Hugging your bodyguard?"

"Are you jealous?"

"Do I need to be?"

"Well, at least I don't sleep with him," I teased.

He lowered his head, and a faint smile appeared.

"I miss you," I said as I folded my hands on the table.

"You're engaged," he said as he focused on my hands.

I immediately began to fumble with my ring. "Yeah, last night."

The waitress came over and took our orders. I ordered a cheese steak sandwich with fries. Ranger had turkey on wheat with a salad.

"About Richard Kaiser," I said, changing the subject.

Ranger leaned forward. "One of the girls is alive and living in Phoenix. She has family there, and we have plenty of documentation that shows that she's using her credit cards and maintaining an active bank account."

"What about the other girl?"

Ranger's face was stoic. "She has no family in this area. The last thing we could track was that she moved to Delaware. There hasn't been any activity on her credit cards or her bank statement."

"You think she's dead?"

"It's a possibility. My concern is that no one has listed her as missing. I find it hard to believe that she would have no family or friends that would report her if she was missing. It's more likely that she's taken a new identity."

"So, you don't think Kaiser is a murderer."

"I didn't say that. I just think he may have allowed these two ladies to live. They are no threat to him."

"Well, I have information, too."

Ranger took my hand in his. "Look, Morelli told me about the magazine. He has his sights set on you, and that's not good."

My eyes met his. They were sad, like the night he came to me after his cousin died.

"Carlos, I'll be all right," I said in an attempt to reassure him.

"I can protect you."

"You _are _protecting me."

"I can be by your side twenty-four seven."

"You have a business to run. Besides, I'm safe with Joe. He can protect me."

"What if he is called on a case in the middle of the night?"

"He can drop me at my parents' house."

"Babe."

"Ranger, you're not responsible for my welfare."

"What happened to 'Carlos'?"

I didn't know what to say.

"Do you want to cut ties?" he asked bluntly.

"NO!" I cried, as I threw my arms around his neck. He pulled me off of my chair and into his lap. He held me tightly. The heat from his hands on my sides burned through to my core.

"I miss you, babe."

I fought the urge to hang on and pulled away slowly. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be Stephanie Morelli, and for a while, there will be a little more of me to love."

He smiled at the thought.

"If you need me for anything; call. And I mean anything."

"I will."

I rose off of his lap and sat in my chair. I pulled out my info on Maria Kaiser. "I followed Ricky one day. He drove to Morristown to a storage facility. He pulled into the facility in his beat up Honda Accord, and he came out driving a brand new Corvette. I continued to follow him, and he drove to a nice ranch house on Mulberry. He parked, retrieved the mail, and went in the front door using a key. It turns out both the car and the house are owned by Kaiser's mother, Maria. I had Connie pull everything on her."

I opened the file. "It says here that the house on Mulberry and the Corvette are paid for. She owns another house on Gregory Street out in Hopewell Township. That house has a note on it at Suntrust Bank. According to this, she's been paying on this mortgage for eighteen years."

"So what are you thinking?" Ranger asked knowing full well what I was going to say.

"I think the Corvette and the house on Mulberry are owned by Ricky, but he put it in his mother's name, so no would could question him about where he got the money from. It says here that Ricky works as a sales rep for a company called Lexie's Handbags."

"Interesting. You got an address on the business?"

I looked through the paperwork. "No."

Ranger pulled out his phone as the waitress returned with our food.

"Yo, I need you to do something for me."… "It's a business. Lexie's Handbags."… He took the file from me. "Lexie—spelled L-E-X-I-E."… "Right, get me everything you can."… "Later." He hung up.

I was already plowing into my cheese steak. Ranger creased his forehead.

"I thought you were trying to eat sensibly."

"I always eat when I'm nervous."

He reached to my face and wiped a glob of cheese steak from my chin. His lips twisted into a smile. "Don't tell me I still make you nervous." His eyes got dark as he pulled a stray hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. Whenever he touched me like this, it always sent a rush of fire to that place between my legs.

I came clean. "I love Morelli, but I'm stupid and weak when it comes to you—and unfortunately, you know it."

He laid his hand on my neck and brushed his thumb along my jawbone. "I know I love you, and I want to see you happy."

"I am happy—mostly."

Ranger pulled his hand away from my face and began to eat.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, babe."

"If I can get Joe to agree to let me work for you, would you hire me?"

"You know he's never going to agree to that."

"I'm working on him. I'd be at a desk in a safe building, and I'd still be doing what I like."

"All he'd see you doing is me."

"He's not perfect either, you know."

"And by that you mean…"

"Terry Gilman."

"He told you about that, huh?"

My eyes widened, and I sucked in air.

"You knew about that?"

"We were doing surveillance on the building."

I threw my napkin on my plate. "I'm leaving."

I got up and headed for the door.

"Babe."


	9. Chapter 9

**So, it's been a rough week. Some personal stuff, and I'm still playing catch up with my writing. Tomorrow I'll be at one of the local high schools in this town trying to sell some books. Wish me luck!**

**I saw the trailer for 'One for the Money'. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. In the beginning I thought Katherine Heigl would be perfect, and I was really unsure of Jason O'Mara (?) playing Morelli, but now I'm thinking he seems perfect for the role, but she seems a little…I don't know. Flat? (I mean her acting, not her chest). I'm trying to keep an open mind. I know when I wrote For the Love of Brynn, I had definite actors that I used as my muses for Gavin and Wes. I even thanked Hal for letting me plaster his face, body, the way he moves, and mannerisms in my brain. I think about him every day because he is also my muse for Nate in 'A Soul's Hope' and 'Nate's Diary'.**

**I hope y'all are enjoying this story as much I am enjoying writing it…carry on!**

FEELING TRAPPED

I didn't stop. I was furious. How could he not tell me that Morelli cheated on me? It's not as if I was some disenchanted housewife. We were partners. Like Starsky and Hutch. Okay, we were more like Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis in Moonlighting. Would David Addison have kept such a secret from Maddie? No Way! He would have been there to pick up the pieces in the hopes of getting a little action on the side.

I saw Hal in the mall waiting on a bench. I shot past him, and he sprang to his feet and jogged to catch up to me.

"Is there a problem?"

"Nope, no problem," I said as kept up my pace. "By the way, I don't need you to watch me anymore."

He continued to stay right on my heels. I walked down a quiet service hall to a side entrance. I stopped abruptly and addressed him.

"I told you I don't need your services anymore, Hal. Now, go!"

He grabbed me by the arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm walking home. Now let me go!"

"I can't let you do that."

"Then you'll just have to follow me on foot!" I tried to rip my arm away from him. He had me in a firm grip. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Ranger.

"Boss, she wants to walk home."... "You're sure?"… "Okay."… "Okay." He hung up and let me go.

"Thank you." I pushed the door open and began to walk defiantly in the direction of my parent's house, since it was the closet in proximity to the mall. I looked over my shoulder and Hal was still following me at distance. He didn't look comfortable with the space between us. I had gone about three blocks when Ranger pulled up in his Porsche Turbo Sedan. He angled out of the car. I picked up the pace in the hopes he would get the message. He didn't. He came up quickly behind me.

"Leave me alone, Carlos!" I shouted.

Before I could count to five, Ranger clicked a cuff to my left wrist, pulled my right arm behind my back, and cuffed my right wrist.

"Ranger, what are you doing?"

He picked me up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Hal opened the trunk to the Porsche and Ranger dropped me in. Okay, he didn't drop me, but still, it's a small trunk!

"What are you doing?" I reiterated.

"Keeping you safe." He closed the trunk carefully. I began to kick and scream. I was crammed into the trunk, and I was kicking the hood. Within moments, music vibrated throughout the car muffling my screams. Loud, obnoxious, Spanish music. _Damn him!_

He drove for what I estimated to be about fifteen minutes before the deafening music was silenced. The car engine ceased, the door opened and closed, and I heard Ranger's footsteps approaching. They, stopped and I knew he was standing on the other side of the hood.

"If I let you out, do you promise to remain calm?"

Calm? I was ready to spit bullets. I was too angry to speak.

"Stephanie?"

Angry tears burnt my cheeks.

"Stephanie, don't play with me."

I knew the only way I was getting out of that trunk was if I answered him—in a calm voice.

"Please let me out," I said as calmly as I could while choking back tears. I hated that I couldn't wipe the tears from my face. He would know he had beaten me—again.

The trunk opened, and Ranger stared down at me. He was stoic. He didn't say a word. He cradled me in his arms and lifted me out of the trunk. He placed me gently on my feet. He stared into my eyes for a few beats. No words were spoken. I was trying to hide the anger that was bubbling just beneath the surface. He stepped behind me and unlocked the cuffs.

That's when I exploded. I turned and shoved him in the chest with all of my might. He took one step back. "YOU ASSHOLE! HOW DARE YOU LOCK ME IN THE TRUNK LIKE A PIECE OF LUGGAGE!"

He said nothing.

I pushed him again. He stood fast. "YOU DON'T OWN ME!"

"You feel better now?"

"NO, I DON'T FEEL BETTER!"

"Babe."

"DON'T BABE ME!"

He turned and walked away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Upstairs."

"I can't go up there."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"I HATE YOU!"

He turned abruptly and walked swiftly back to me. I thought he might hit me which was stupid because Ranger never let his emotions get the better of him. He grabbed my jacket by the collar and pulled his face close to mine.

"Hate me," he said barely above a whisper. Then he pressed his lips to mine. At that moment, I forgot all about Morelli, and I let the fire rage in the passion of the kiss. Our tongues caressed each other, and my head began to swim before I remembered that I was engaged. I pulled away and slapped him across the face.

His lips twisted into a smile. "Feel better now?"

I did feel better. I wasn't sure if it was the kiss or the violence, but I was calmer now.

"Why didn't you tell me about Morelli and Terry Gilman?"

"If I had, you would have run to me to console you, and I would have taken advantage. That's not how I want to bed you." He paused for a few beats. "Beside, you haven't exactly been faithful to Morelli."

He was right. I was nothing but a cheater—but Terry Gilman! Why her? I thought about Joe, and the thoughts that must have run through his mind when he learned about my indiscretions with Ranger. I was thinking about Joe now. He didn't have to tell me about Terry—but he did. He came clean and took my anger even though I was so much worse than him.

"Babe?" Ranger pulled me from my thoughts.

"Can I borrow your phone?"

He produced the phone, and I took it. "Excuse me."

"I'll be in my office."

I dialed the phone.

"Hello, Steph?"

"I'm sorry I didn't call you."

"I figured you were enjoying your time with Ranger."

"I was, but then he pissed me off. I left, and he kidnapped me."

"What?"

"Joe, I know you want to protect me, but I'd rather take my chances with a goon like Kaiser than to be handcuffed and thrown into Ranger's trunk."

Morelli started to laugh. "He threw you into the trunk of his car?"

"Yes."

"Which car?"

"The Porsche 911 turbo."

He laughed again. "And you fit?"

"Ha ha!"

"He's got some balls."

"Joe, I need to go back to the office."

"Then ask him to take you to the office."

"I'm in the garage of his building. He went upstairs. Will you pick me up?"

"Are you asking me to come because you are afraid to be alone with him or because you want to respect my wishes?"

"I'm asking you because I don't like being held la prisoner, and I need to get another phone."

I considered telling him that Ranger kissed me because I knew if I did, he'd definitely come and get me, but I thought better of it. The repercussions would be too much to deal with. I was angry with Ranger, but I still loved him and really did want to work with him. I would just have to make Ranger understand that poaching was unacceptable.

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes?"

"Okay."

He disconnected. I dialed the office.

"Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, Connie speaking."

"Connie, can I please speak to Mattie?"

"Where are you? He's freaking out again."

"Just let me talk to him."

I heard muffled voices, and then he came on the line.

"It's been almost twp hours. Where did you have lunch—in a motel?"

"I was kidnapped."

"What? By who? Where are you?"

"Ranger kidnapped me for my own good because I tried to walk back to the office from the mall."

"What happened to Hal?"

"I don't know. I guess Ranger released him from his duties."

"So, he's taken it upon himself to watch over you. How convenient for him,"

"Yeah, well. I called Morelli. He's coming to get me."

"Are you coming back here?"

"I need to make a stop at Verizon first."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Why don't you run that surveillance on Michael Priest? I'll have Joe drop me on Charles Street if you're still there. If not, you can slide by and pick me up at my parents' house. You remember where I used to live, right?"

"I sure do."

"Okay, later."

"Take care, puddin'."

As I hung up, I realized I didn't have my purse. I had it when I left the mall, so it must be in the trunk. I walked to the car and saw it lying on the seat. I tried to open the door—locked. _Shit!_ The cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Are you coming up?"

"I want my purse."

*_Click* _The car door unlocked. I opened the door and sat in the driver's seat. My gut instincts told me Ranger had planted a bug in my purse. I dumped the contents of my purse out onto the seat—wallet, check book, pepper spray—_I didn't even know that was in there—_tampons, pens, gum, iPod, small round battery-like device. _Ah hah! I knew it! _I picked up the tracking device and dropped it in the ashtray. I threw the rest of the contents back into my purse and left his cell phone on the seat. I angled my way out of the car and slung my purse over my shoulder. I shut the door and took off at a flat run toward the entrance of the garage. I knew as soon as I reached the keypad that an alarm would alert him of my escape. I thought to myself, _how stupid. I'm escaping from Ranger—my lover, my mentor, my protector._

As soon as I got outside, I saw the SUV with Hal sitting in it. _Shit!_ He waved at me. Then he opened the door and stepped out.

"I'm waiting for Morelli," I said in my defense.

"I know."

"How do you know?"

"Ranger's phone is set up so everything you say transmits to a computer. It's in case he were to get into a situation that he couldn't control. The guys in the office could dispatch help if he needed it. He knows that you asked Morelli to pick you up."

"That son-of-a-bitch!"

"What can I say? He's good at what he does."

"Are you still going to follow me?"

"If you don't mind."

"I'm sorry I was mean to you at the mall."

"No offense taken."

At that moment, Morelli pulled up.

"Your ride is here," Tank announced.

Morelli pushed the passenger side door open, and I slid into the seat.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just mad."

"I have to admit, I like rescuing you from Ranger."

"Hal is still following us."

"Let him."

We pulled up to the Verizon store. I got out of the car and stepped up onto the curb. Joe grabbed me by the collar of my coat and pulled me to his lips. It was an eerie reminder of the kiss that Ranger had planted on me in the garage.

"Joe, don't manhandle me."

"I thought you like it when I manhandle you."

"I've been handcuffed and tossed into a trunk. I could use a little tenderness."

Joe reciprocated by putting his arms around my waist. He leaned in a kissed my neck.

"Is this better?"

"Much," I replied.

"Your buddy, Hal, is watching. Want to give him something to report to Ranger?"

"No, but I do want to kiss you."

"Do you now?"

"I'm not going to beg, Mr. Morelli."

"No, we wouldn't want you to beg—at least not here on the street. Maybe I'll make you beg tonight though."

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Oh, you think so?"

He smiled slyly. "Bet on it." He leaned in and closed his lips over mine tasting me with his tongue.

"Cheese steak?"

"I never even got to finish it," I lamented.

"You want to go eat somewhere?"

"No, Mom will have dinner ready at six. You know she'll have a cow if we're late."

"Shit. I forgot about dinner."

"Joe Morelli, you had better not be backing out! We're supposed to talk about the wedding."

"I know. Let's get you a phone, so I can get back to work. I have a ton of reports I have to finish up at the station. It's my 'office' day. Next week, I have court. If I don't get these reports done, I'll be in some deep shit."

We entered the Verizon store, and Joe insisted that I be put on his account. We did a 'transfer of liability' making him the primary party on the phone. I was added, so I could access his account if I needed to. It was the first step towards our union. I left the store marveling at my new iPhone. Joe paid for everything.

"Thank you for the phone."

"It's not a Porsche, but I hope you like it."

"Are you kidding? I'll be playing with this all day!"

"As long as you don't play with it all night," he said with a smile.

"Hmmm, we'll see," I teased.

"Where to, Cupcake?"

"Charles Street. Mattie's supposed to be sizing up an FTA. If he's not there, then drop me at my parents' house."

"What about the Porsche?"

"I'll get it later."

We cruised Charles Street, but there was no sign of Mateo. I spied Mattie's car as we pulled up to my parents' house.

"I'll catch you later," Joe said, as he kissed me on the temple.

"Six o'clock. Don't be late."

"I'll try my best."

"I can't beg if I don't sleep in your bed."

"Is that a threat?"

"Hell, yeah, it is. I'll bet by now, between my mother and Valerie, they've got half the wedding planned, and I'm not making any decisions without you."

The front door opened and Grandma stepped out onto the porch. She was wearing a pink sweat suit, no doubt an influence from Lula. She looked like a giant geriatric bunny.

"I better go." I leaned in and kissed Joe. It was the kind of kiss that would make him try his damnedest to show up on time. He was really getting into it, and he took my hand and laid it on his hard-on. I rubbed for a few seconds and then pulled away.

"Damn! You see what you do to me?"

"I love you." I climbed out of the car and headed for the steps.

Grandma greeted me. "You have a visitor."

"I know."

I walked into the kitchen with Grandma tagging along. Mom, Valerie, and Mateo were sitting at the table. Mattie had Lisa in his lap. They were playing with a little handheld electronic toy that made happy sounds and flashed pretty colors when the correct letter was chosen for the beginning of the picture that was displayed.

"Hey, Mattie."

"Stephanie, you didn't tell me your sister was back in town."

"Yeah, she's married. Lisa's single though. You seem to be getting along great with her."

"I love babies. It males me miss my own kids."

"Your kids aren't babies."

"No. Justin is thirteen and Miranda is eleven. Justin's playing fall ball right now. I used to help coach before everything went to hell in a hand basket. He has a game tomorrow."

"Are you going?"

"I was planning on it."

"Do you mind if I go with you?"

"You want to come with me to see my kid play ball?"

"Sure, why not? I'd like to meet your son. Your wife will be there, right? I'd like to meet her."

He chuckled. "Maybe, if she thought I was sleeping with you, she'd get jealous."

"Oh, no. I'm not playing that game. You can tell her we were once a couple, but I was hoping to bring Joe. He loves sports."

"Boy, you sure know how to burst my bubble."

"Yeah, that's me, the bubble buster." I paused a few beats, and Valerie took the opportunity to segue into what was on her agenda.

"We've got three different places where we can have the wedding, and each has a different date available."

"I'm not talking wedding until Joe gets here."

"Didn't he just drop you off?"

"Yes, but it's only three o'clock, and technically, my partner says I'm still on the clock."

Mattie was busy playing with Lisa.

"Looks to me like your partner is on vacation," Valerie shot back.

"Mattie, I'm going to do surveillance on Kaiser. You coming?"

Mattie looked up at me in surprise. "Oh—Yeah, I'm coming." He picked the baby up off of his lap and set her on the floor. She immediately started to cry.

"Don't cry, precious. I'll see you again."

"Mattie, you are such a heartbreaker!"

"She definitely likes you," Valerie observed as she scooped the crying Lisa off the floor.

"Mateo, you are more than welcome to join us for dinner," my mother offered.

Mattie looked directly to me for approval.

"Sure." I nodded to Mattie. "It'll be fun."

Grandma Mazur piped up. "I invited Sally to come, so he could help with the wedding plans. He did such a great job on Valerie's wedding even though she didn't show up for it. This'll be like a party!"

Oh, boy.

Mattie walked over to Valerie and stroked Lisa's hair. "Valerie, you left your husband standing at the altar?"

"Heck no," Grandma replied. "They both ditched the wedding and went to Disney World instead."

"Is that where you conceived this little one?" He said, still giving Lisa attention.

Grandma again answered the question. "Lisa was already born. She went with them. And so did the other two girls. Apparently, babies and marriage don't go in any particular order in this generation."

I rolled my eyes, and my mother went for the bottle in the cabinet.

"Speaking of girls, Albert's picking them up from school and bringing them here."

"That's our cue to leave. We'll be back later."

"Before six!" my mother called out.

As we pulled down the street, I saw Albert's SUV coming our way. "We sure dodged a bullet. Whenever the entire family is at my parents' house, it's like a three ring circus. We've even got a horse."

Mattie laughed. "It can't be that bad."

I couldn't even vocalize a response. It was something he would have to see to believe.

"So, why are we doing surveillance on Kaiser? He's FTA, right? Why don't we just pick him up?"

"Because he's real hard to nab. He's got a surveillance camera on his porch making it hard to sneak up on him. And I can't shake this feeling that there's more to this operation than dealing weed."

"But that's Morelli's job, isn't it? Your job is to drag his ass in, so Vinnie can get his money back."

"Yeah, well, he's not stalking Vinnie, and Morelli works homicide. Kaiser hasn't killed anyone that we know of. Rape seems to be his specialty."

"Which is why Ranger's guy has been keeping his eye on you."

"You got it."

"Where is he? I don't see him."

We drove past Richard's house, and the Honda Accord was in the driveway. "He's here. Go around the block and park where we can see the front door."

Mattie did as he was told, and we settled in for what would most likely be a long wait. We hadn't been parked more than a few minutes when my cell phone rang. I looked at the number.

"Ranger."

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

I made a face before I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Why are you parked outside of Richard Kaiser's house?"

"I'm watching him."

"I sent Hal home after Morelli dropped you off at your parents' house. I thought you'd stay put."

"You thought wrong. If Hal's not watching us, then how do you know where I am?"

"I'm sending Tank."

"You don't have to. Mattie's with me."

Ranger disconnected.

"Hmm."

"What?" Mattie asked, confused by the conversation.

"Hal's not with us," I responded as I thought aloud.

"And?"

"And he knew where I was."

"Maybe he planted a bug on you."

"That's just it. I found the one he planted in my purse."

"Maybe, he bugged my car. Maybe tomorrow, we should take your car."

"My car is Ranger's Porsche Carrera, remember? All his cars are monitored."

"I guess you don't have a lot of choices. Is it really so bad having a body guard?"

"No, it's more a matter of me being under his control."

"You have real issues with control, don't you?"

"My fiancé is a cop and my…" I stopped short.

"You were going to say lover."

I could feel the heat rise up into my face. "That's in the past," I said adamantly.

"Is it?"

"I made a commitment to Joe."

Mattie turned to face me. He looked at me intently. "Do you _love _Joe?"

"Of course, I love Joe. I couldn't see me living my life without him."

He took a quick breath. "But you can see your life without Ranger." It was a question, but it sounded more like a statement.

"No, I need Ranger in my life, but not in the same capacity as Joe." I felt good about my answer because it was the truth.

"Are you sure that's Morelli's baby you're carrying?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that this kid will come out speaking Italian."

A small car pulled into the driveway behind Kaiser's Accord. A black woman got out. She was dressed in clothes Lula would admire—skin tight floral dress with a plunging neckline, an arm full of neon bangle bracelets, and a gold lame purse hanging from her shoulder. The shoes were definitely 'fuck me' pumps all the way.

"Looks like Kaiser's got himself a hooker," Mattie observed.

"Lula calls him the 'minute man'. When she was still a 'ho', he was one of her regulars."

"No offense to your friend, but I think if I screwed her, I'd have a hard time cuming at all."

"Some guys like a girl with some meat on her."

"Not me, my tastes run similar to Ranger and Morelli." He shot me a sly look.

"Is your wife slim?"

"My wife is gorgeous, but she doesn't have your boobs."

"Joe is a serious 'boob' man."

Suddenly, the door opened, and the painted lady stepped out onto the porch.

"Damn! She was in there for what—five minutes?"

"About that."

She adjusted her dress and walked towards the car.

"Look. She's carrying a new purse."

"What?"

"When she went in, she was carrying a gold lame cloth dump bag that she had slung over her shoulder. Now she's got what looks like a Louis Vuitton knock off."

"How do you know it's a knock off?"

"It's just a guess."

"Hmm. Well, he does work for a place that sells handbags, right? Maybe he gave it to her for services rendered."

"Or maybe she's carrying his drugs for him."

"So, now what?"

"Let's wait a while longer. We don't have to be at the house until six.

I looked in the rear view mirror.

"Tank's behind us."

"Who's Tank?"

"Ranger's right hand man."

"What happened to Hal?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Beats me."

"Look. He's coming out," Mattie announced.

"Yep, and he's carrying that briefcase."

"You want to follow him," Mattie surmised.

"Yes, but don't follow to close. He's good at spotting a tail."

Kaiser got directly into his car. He backed out of the driveway and down the street until he was parallel to us. He lowered the passenger side window. He smiled. "Sorry, Ms. Plum, it's not your turn yet. Be patient." He pulled out a glock and shot the front tire. "I promise I'll visit you real soon." He gunned the engine and flew off down the road.

Tank was out of the SUV and next to us in seconds. "Are you all right?"

"He shot out my fucking tire!" Mattie barked.

"We're fine," I assured Tank.

"We're not fine! He could have killed us!"

"I told you—he's not a murderer. It's me he wants."

"Come on. I'll give you a ride," Tank said calmly.

"What about my car?"

"I'll call the tow truck. Where do you want them to tow it?"

"Take it to Al's," I replied.

"How am I gonna get home?"

"You can borrow the Buick."

"The Buick?"

"Yeah, you'll love it. Most guys do."

Mattie grimaced and got out of the car. We all walked back to Tank's black pristine SUV.

"This sucks," Mattie complained, as he slid into the back seat.

"At least it didn't get blown up," Tank joked.

"Oh my God, Tank, you made a funny!"

Tank grinned as he pulled out his phone.

"Where to?"

"The office. I might as well pick up the Porsche."

"I don't think the Porsche is there," Tank replied.

"He took the Porsche back?" I was shocked. Ranger had never taken a gift back before.

"I can call him if you want," Tank offered.

"No, that's okay. I'm staying with Joe tonight."

At that moment, Tank's phone chirped.

"Yo," he answered. "Kaiser shot the tire out, so they couldn't follow him."… "I was about to call Al's."… "Yeah, as a matter of fact, she sounded disappointed."… "Sure, I'll tell her." He hung up.

"Tell me what?" I demanded.

"He said if you want the car, all you have to do is call him."

"If he knows I want the car, then why do I have to call him?"

"You did sorta run out on him today—twice."

"You think he's mad at me?"

He stared straight ahead. "Beats me."

_Shit! I didn't mean to hurt him, but he did treat me like property._ "He never even apologized for throwing me into the trunk."

"Did you give him the chance?"

"Yes," I said adamantly.

"I was watching the monitor. All I saw was you pushing him and screaming in his face until he shut you up."

I looked at Mattie, and his eyes got wider.

"And he didn't apologize for that either."

"And I'm pretty sure he's not going to."

Tank pulled up to my parents' house.

"Are you going to be running out on any more road trips?"

"No. You can tell your boss that I'm expecting Morelli, and I'll be going home with him."

It was a double entendre. I would be safe with Morelli, and I'd be in his bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry, I'm posting this so late. Today, I lost a piece of my heart when we had to put down 14 year old Casey. He was a joy every day of his life, and he and my son were only two weeks apart. I will miss him terribly. I hope he's chasing catnip mouseys in heaven.**

DINNER AT MOM'S

Mattie and I left Tank parked at the curb. I could only assume he would wait there until Morelli showed up just to be sure I was staying put. I needed to clear the air with Ranger, but I figured I'd let him stew for a while.

We entered the house, and it was mayhem. My father was sitting in his chair with the TV blasting in an attempt to drown out the din. Lisa was in the middle of the floor crying while Mary Alice whinnied as she circled her in a trot. Angie was sitting on the couch with a book in her lap, and she was screaming at the other two girls to shut up, so she could read.

"Whoa!" Mattie exclaimed. He immediately scooped Lisa off the floor. She buried her face in Mattie's chest as he tried to console her.

"Where's Valerie? I asked.

Grandma rushed in from the kitchen. Valerie was trying to fix the lid on Lisa's sippy cup, and Mary Alice galloped in and scared the death out of Lisa. She spilled her milk all over her mother, and now Valerie is upstairs taking a shower.

"Who's Mary Alice?" Mattie asked.

"The horse," I replied. "She's been pretending to be a horse for two years now. We hoped she would outgrow it, but she hasn't."

"This appears to be a problem," he observed.

"Tell me about it."

"A horse, huh?"

"Yep."

He put his hand on his chin and thought about it for a minute. "Do you mind if I take a crack at it?"

Valerie appeared at the top of the stairs. "Crack at what?"

"Your horse problem."

"Fine by me. Good luck,' she answered sarcastically.

"You have a garage here, right?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

Lisa stopped crying. Mattie handed her off to me. "Here. Show your niece some love. Valerie, I need you to follow me." Mary Alice was still galloping in a circle. Mattie grabbed her by the arm. "Sorry, horses don't belong in the house. Horses live in a barn."

"We don't have a barn!" Mary Alice protested.

I handed Lisa off to my mother. I did _not_ want to miss this. We all marched out to the back yard. Mattie opened the garage door.

"Ah….the BUICK!" he said with a smile. "It is sweet. I need someone to back it out for me."

"I'll do it," I replied. I ran back into the house and grabbed the keys off the hook. I returned and backed the car out of the garage. I rushed quickly back to the scene and stood next to Valerie. Mattie took Mary Alice by the hand and walked her into the garage. Valerie and I stood at the entrance watching.

He crouched down in front of her. "Why do you want to be a horse?"

"Because horses are beautiful, and strong, and they can run really fast," she said as a matter of fact.

"Here's the truth about horses. They are beautiful, but you know what? Little girls are beautiful."

"Angie is beautiful. I'm not."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because Mommy always buys Angie new dresses and stuff. I always get her old stuff."

My heart broke when I heard this. I was the 'hand-me-down' girl when we were growing up. I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I froze until I realized that it was Joe. He stood behind me and engulfed me in his arms. "What's going on?" he said softly in my ear.

"Shhh."

I didn't want to miss any of the conversation.

"Horses work very hard, and they used to be able to run free many, many years ago, but now they are put to work. Would you like me to hook up a wagon to you?"

"I wouldn't mind," she said defiantly.

"Okay, I'll get some rope and tie you to the wagon, and you can pull me home tonight because my car broke down. It'll be dark, but you'll be all right."

She looked at Valerie with fear in her eyes. Mattie looked at Valerie and nodded his head at her, so she would play the game.

"It's only a few miles, and he's not _that_ heavy. You'll be back by morning."

Mattie continued. "Then you can sleep all day here in the garage. I know it's not a barn, but it will have to do. We should be able to get plenty of hay in here by then."

"What about school?"

"Horses don't go to school. They don't have sisters either—or grandmas. But don't worry, you'll get used to it, and when it gets real cold, I'm sure that lady out there will put down extra hay to keep you warm," he said pointing to Valerie.

"Mommy!" she cried out.

I looked over at Valerie, and she was about to crack. Hell, I was about to crack. Joe was still standing behind me with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I clamped onto his forearms in distress.

"Sorry, there is no mommy. Horses have owners. She's a human, not like you. She still loves you, but she's not your mommy. Now let's get that rope over there and tie you up for the night."

"I don't wanna be a horse!" she cried.

Valerie broke down and ran to her. "I don't want you to be a horse either!" she said, as she picked up Mary Alice and hugged her tightly. "Why didn't you ever tell me you wanted new clothes?"

"I did once when we still lived with Daddy. You started crying and ran to the bedroom. I was at your door, and I heard you tell Daddy that you wished there were no kids. You said pets were so much easier. So I thought if I was a horse, you would love me more."

That was it. I turned and faced Joe and the water works began. Joe stroked my head. "I can't believe that for more than two years, I've been watching this kid pretend she's a horse, and your prom date was able to get to the bottom of it in less than ten minutes. The guy's a freakin' genius."

"We are going to suck at being parents," I lamented.

"I'll admit I'm a little nervous."

"Joe, you still want this baby, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Never doubt that." He kissed me tenderly. "Come on. Your mother has dinner ready, and I left Bob in there with her."

"Oh crap!"

We entered the house, and Angie was sitting in the middle of the living room on top of Bob holding onto his collar. Joe walked over to retrieve him.

"No! Grandma said I get a dollar if I can keep Bob out of the kitchen!" she cried out. Bob stood up, Angie fell off of him, and he dragged her across the rug.

"Don't worry. I'll give you two dollars. I'm going to put Bob outside until after dinner," Joe said calmly.

She relented, and Bob took off toward the kitchen. Joe caught him as he tried to gallop past us. "Hey, Mattie," Joe grunted, as he held onto Bob. "Can you work any miracles with dogs?"

"Nope. My wife doesn't allow any pets in the house."

Mattie and I entered the kitchen. Sally and Grandma Mazur were already seated. Sally was wearing a pair of dangling earrings, and his hair was pasted into a faux hawk. He was wearing a sparkly V-neck T-shirt. Mattie stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him in horror.

"Please tell me you are not setting me up because this is wrong in so many ways."

My mother burst out laughing. I think she may have had one nip too many.

"Mattie, this is a friend of mine, Salvatore Sweet."

Sally rose from his seat revealing his black skinny jeans and reached out to shake Mattie's hand. "Call me Sally."

"He's in a band," Grandma explained. She turned to Sally. "What's the name of your band now?"

"Pimps and Pussys."

Joe pursed his lips together to keep from laughing as he took his seat beside me. "Be good," I whispered under my breath.

"And you would be?" Mateo asked.

Before Sally could answer, the back door opened, and Albert entered the house. Mattie took the seat between me and Lisa's highchair. "Sorry, I'm late. I had a closing today. It was good."

"Are you a real estate agent?" Mattie asked completely forgetting about the previous conversation with Sally.

"No—lawyer," Albert said proudly.

"I need one of those, too."

Valerie's eyes lit up, but it was again Grandma who spoke out of turn. "Albert's a real good lawyer, and he'll give you a break on account of you're Stephanie's ex-boyfriend." The way she said it sounded as if we had just recently broken up.

"Good grief," my father muttered.

Grandma smiled and looked at me. "How does it feel sitting at the dinner table with two of your lovers?"

Joe had just shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. He started to choke. I reached out and patted him on the back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he sputtered still choking.

I shot a look at Grandma. "Mateo and I are just friends. I'm teaching him how to be a bounty hunter."

"Oh, you mean like the way Ranger taught you?"

Joe dropped his fork on his plate. "Excuse me," he mumbled as he got up.

I knew Grandma's remark was benign in her mind, but right now, I just wanted her to shut the hell up.

"Joe?"

"I just need to use the facilities," he murmured in a reassuring voice. As soon as Joe left the room, I attacked my mother.

"Mom, will you please tell Grandma that she is hurting Joe with her stupid comments?"

"Since when does your grandmother listen to me?"

Sally saved the day. "Edna, you are an open-minded middle-aged fox, but Morelli is a dude. Dudes don't like to talk about stuff like that. It bruises their ego."

"Oh."

Joe returned to the kitchen. "I got a call. I have to go."

"No! You can't!" I said in a panic.

"Sorry, duty calls."

I shot out of my chair. "We have to talk about the wedding!"

I dragged him into the living room. "Joseph Morelli, don't you dare bail on me!"

"I'm sorry, Steph. There's been a shooting on Stark Street. I really have to go."

My eyes began to well up. "I can't do this without you!"

"I'll come back."

"How long?"

He cracked a smile. "You're pleading."

A lone tear burst onto my cheek. "I'm sorry about what Grandma said."

He pulled me into his arms. "Are you gonna be like this through the whole pregnancy?"

"I don't know, probably."

"I'll be back in two hours."

"An hour and a half," I demanded.

"Save my plate."

He leaned in and wiped the tear from my face, and then he kissed me tenderly. I returned to the table alone and took my seat. "He said he'll come back. There's been a murder on Stark Street."

"Must be hard being with a cop," Mattie surmised.

"Sometimes."

I was in a funk. I loved my grandmother, but lately, she had been getting on my nerves. I used to take the things she said with a grain of salt. I guess this was just one more pleasant side effect of pregnancy.

Sally slid into Joe's seat and put his arm around me. "He'll be all right. He loves you."

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. Mattie gave Lisa a load of attention. She loved him. Mary Alice on the other hand sat next to Valerie on the opposite end of the table. She wouldn't even look at Mattie. I'm pretty sure her goal for the night was to stay as far away from him as humanly possible. Angie sat next to my father. They were like two peas in a pod. As soon as they finished dinner, they retreated to the living room and watched Wheel of Fortune together. Valerie took Mary Alice upstairs for a heart to heart. Albert also went upstairs and returned carrying their latest addition, four month old Alexis.

"Where did this precious cargo come from?" Mattie asked, as he made a beeline for the baby.

"This is Alexis. She's me and Val's."

Grandma once again couldn't contain her words. "It's their last baby. Albert got himself fixed. Val made him do it."

Well, at least she wasn't trashing my life. Albert sat at the table with Mattie. They each had a baby, and they looked quite comfortable as they talked about divorce and lawyer stuff. That was a subject of 'been there, done that' for me, and I didn't want to get into that conversation. I tried to imagine Joe hanging out with a baby on his lap. I just couldn't see it. I helped Mom clear the table and do the dishes. I fixed a fresh plate for Joe and wrapped it up for later. Sally and Grandma decided since I wasn't going to discuss the wedding without Joe, they were going to the Bingo Hall.

I had completely forgotten about Bob until Grandma and Sally were leaving, and Bob started barking in the back yard. I let him in and gave him some leftovers that my mother had scraped together for him. It had been a long arduous day, and I was tired.

"I'm going to taker a nap," I announced.

"A nap? It's seven o'clock. No one takes a nap at seven o'clock," my mother stated.

"Then I'm going to bed! Jeesh!"

"What about the wedding?" she demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't get married."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"I'm tired." I trudged up the stairs with Bob on my heels. I plopped on my bed which still bore the same bedspread that I had in high school. Bob climbed into the bed with me, and I wrapped myself around his big, soft, furry body. It was only a matter of minutes before I drifted off.

I opened my eyes, and Joe was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey beautiful. You want to talk about the wedding now?"

I stretched. "What time is it?"

"It's eight thirty. I have to go back to work in the morning, but I told them that I had some important things I needed to do tonight."

"You still want to marry me?"

"Why would you think I wouldn't?"

"I don't know. My family is so screwed up and according to Grandma, I'm a slut."

He gently brushed the hair off of my face with his fingers. "_You_ are not a slut and even if you were, you're my slut. And as for your family, I knew what I was signing onto a long time ago. I love your family, even Grandma Mazur. "

"I love you, Joe."

"Good to know. Now come on. Your mother and Valerie are waiting."

It was relatively quiet when we got to the bottom of the stairs. Only my mother and Val were in the kitchen. Dad and Mattie were in the living room watching a movie.

"Where is everyone?"

"Albert took the kids home, so we could concentrate on the wedding," Valerie said cheerfully.

Joe and I each took a seat at the kitchen table. My mother set the warm plate of food I had prepared in front of Joe.

"Thanks, Mom." he said with a smile.

I felt a tingle go through my body at hearing him call her 'Mom'. My mother joined us, and the planning stage was officially under way.

"Okay," Valerie said, as she pulled out a notebook. We found three places that can accommodate a wedding on short notice. First we have 'A Grand Affair'. They are a little expensive, but they have two dates available in the next two months. The first is the day after Thanksgiving. It's a Friday."

"That's Black Friday!" I replied.

"I know." She paused for a few beats. "The other date is December fifteenth. It's a Thursday."

I grimaced. "Who gets married on a Thursday?"

"Someone who's pregnant and needs to get married in a hurry!" Valerie snapped.

"We don't have to get married in a hurry," Joe said in my defense. "I've just waited a long time to get to this point, and I wouldn't want her to change her mind because of dates."

I looked over at Joe. "I'm not going to change my mind," I reassured him.

"Okay." Valerie interrupted. "We checked out Salvatori's. They have two dates as well. They have December twenty-second. It's a Sunday."

"That's three days before Christmas!"

"Jeez, Steph! Fine! The other date is a Friday."

"When?"

"February first."

I counted on my fingers. I'll be five months pregnant. I'll be as big as a house!"

Joe didn't say a word. He continued to eat. Valerie rolled her eyes at me.

My mother took the notebook and continued. "The other choice is the VFW. Your father can get it October twenty-second. That's a Saturday."

"Mom! That's only two weeks away!"

"The other date is November fifteenth, but we would have to come up with all the food ourselves. How many people are you inviting?"

"I don't know." I looked at Joe.

He let out a heavy sigh. "If we are going to do this right, I'd say we couldn't do less than seventy five, a hundred would be reasonable."

"Feeding a hundred people is a lot of work," my mother pointed out. "We'd really be better off going with a place that can cater to our needs."

I sat back in the chair and sulked. "I don't know what to do. What do you think, Joe?"

He wiped his lips with a napkin, sat back, and draped his arm across the back of my chair. "Book us for A Grand Affair on Black Friday," he stated as a matter of fact.

"Really?"

"It's the logical choice. It's on a Friday. It's five weeks away which gives us time to get the rest of the stuff together. You'll only be about twelve weeks pregnant, so you won't have to worry about being 'as big as a house', and they will provide the food. Sounds like a done deal to me."

A wave of peacefulness crashed over me. "See? This is why I wanted you here. I could never have made the decision."

"I think you would have made the same decision, you just would have hemmed and hawed for the next two day over it before you reached the same conclusion. For some reason, women never seem to just make a decision without making a big production out of it."

He was so right. I could be shopping for something, like a bathing suit. I'd always find the perfect suit in the first store. I'd go through five more stores, and nine out of ten times, I'd end up right back at the first store. I'd have wasted my whole day searching for the thing that was right in front of me from the beginning—sorta like Joe—although I have to admit the time I spent with Ranger was definitely not a waste of time.

Valerie finally stopped brooding. "Great! We have a date and a place!" She started shuffling through her notebook. "I have menu options here." She slapped a bunch of papers that she had printed off the computer on the table. "I talked to a guy named Robert. He said they have several options. You can choose the Grand Gala menu, the Festive Fiesta menu, or the Premier Party menu."

Joe got up and took his plate to the sink. My mother got up to wash the plate.

"I got it!" she said shooing her away.

"No, you sit," she insisted. "I've already seen the options."

Joe grumbled but did as he was told. "Okay, lay it on me," he said with a sigh.

"The top of the line is the Grand Gala menu. You can choose four different Hors D'oeuvres. Then you get salad and a dinner buffet which includes three meats, two starches or pasta, two vegetables, and rolls. Dessert is fruit, marshmallows, and pound cake in a chocolate waterfall. Soft drinks and coffee are included. A glass of wine and champagne for the toast are included. All other alcohol costs extra if you intend to have an open bar."

"What's the cost per person?" Joe asked.

"Twenty-nine ninety-nine per guest. That doesn't include tax or tip. Robert said that a fifteen percent tip is added to the bill."

"So, at thirty dollars per person, if we invite a hundred people, that would be three thousand dollars—plus ten percent tax is—three hundred dollars and fifteen percent tip is—another four hundred and fifty dollars giving is a grand total of three thousand, seven hundred, and fifty dollars."

I swallowed hard. "Three thousand, seven hundred, and fifty dollars?"

Joe reached out, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it. "Breathe, sweetheart."

"But we haven't even talked about a dress, or a DJ, or flowers, or the cake!" I sputtered.

"Would you rather fly out to Cancun and get married there?" Joe asked sincerely.

"Stephanie, don't you dare!" My mother cried out. "At least give me the pleasure of seeing one of my daughters get married."

"Mom, you saw me and Dickie get married."

"I don't care. I want to see you walk down the aisle," she said adamantly. "I want to see you happy."

"I was happy when I married Dickie. I wasn't the one who screwed up that marriage."

Joe's face went blank. "Stephanie, come with me. We need to let Bob out." He grabbed my hand and towed me out of the chair. He led me toward the back door.

"Bob!" he hollered.

Bob shuffled to his feet and barreled out from under the kitchen table. Joe hooked Bob to the wash line in the back yard. I was standing on the bottom step of the porch. He walked up to me with his hands on his hips. He looked so damn sexy when he stood like that. I just wanted to jump him.

"Tell me something. Do you wish you were still married to Dickie Orr?"

"What? No!"

"Then are you afraid I'm going to cheat on you like Dickie did?"

My mind immediately went to Terry Gilman, and I bit my lower lip.

"Stephanie, I'm not going to marry you if you are not one hundred percent sure you want this."

"Joe, I know I've taken a long time to get to this place, but I'm here now, and I promise you I am not going to back out on you like I did the last time."

"I don't want to hear about Dickie, and the wedding the two of you had. This is our wedding. We'll make our decisions based on what we can afford. Keep in mind that all those guests will be giving us cash gifts. We can go over the twenty thousand dollars. We'll be all right. Okay?" He walked in close to me. I was standing on the step, so I was taller than him.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and looked into his dark eyes. "Okay," I whispered.

"We'll get through this. I just need you to stay in control."

"I'll try."

He kissed me. "Good girl."

He led me back inside, and we continued.

"Tell us about the Fiesta menu," Joe said, jump starting the conversation.

"The Festive Fiesta menu consists of three Hors D'oeuvres. Then you get the salad, two meats, two starches or pasta, one vegetable, and rolls. There is no dessert and of course, you still get the soft drinks and coffee—and the champagne. No wine though."

"No dessert?" I lamented.

"We'll have wedding cake," my mother reminded me.

"Right," I said nodding my head. "How much?"

"That one is twenty-five ninety-nine per person."

"Thirty-one hundred dollars—give or take," Joe calculated.

I sucked in my breath. "What about the other menu?"

"The Premier Party menu has two Hors D'oerves, salad, one meat, two starches or pasta, one vegetable and rolls. No dessert. Drinks are the same as the Fiesta menu."

"How much is that?"

"Twenty-one ninety-nine per person."

"That might be doable," I said with resignation.

"But then there is no choice of meat. What if we choose beef, and someone doesn't like beef? I think we need two meats," Joe replied.

"That's a lot of money, Joe."

My father had entered the kitchen and was standing quietly in the doorway listening.

"Your mother and I wanted to contribute to the wedding."

"Dad! You can't afford that!"

My mother interrupted. "The truth is we've been sort of hoping you and Joseph would eventually marry. We've been putting money away. It's not a lot but would two thousand dollars help?"

My lower lip started to quiver. I didn't want to cry again. My body betrayed me. I got out of my seat and rushed to my dad. "Thank you!" I cried on his shoulder, and he held me tight.

"Joe's a good man. You deserve a guy like him." My father wasn't the kind of guy to show much emotion, but I heard his voice crack when he said it. "The movie's back on," he said abruptly, and he turned away, so I couldn't see his face.

Joe was hugging my mother and thanking her. "I know my Stephanie isn't the easiest person in the world to deal with, but you promise me you'll take care of her. You hear me?"

"I'll do my best," he said sincerely.

I waited my turn, and I hugged my mother, too.

"Let's get back to the menu," Valerie exclaimed. "What are we leaning towards?"

I looked at Joe before I answered. "I guess—the Fiesta menu."

"Okay, you can pick any three Hors D'oeuvres. Here's the list. I looked down at it. It was split into four categories—vegetarian, poultry, seafood, and beef. I began to read the first category, which was vegetarian. In my mind, I wasn't thinking vegetarian at all until I started to read the items aloud:

"Handcrafted Miniature Quiche (Broccoli, Spinach, or Ham & Cheese)—Spinach and Feta stuffed Mushroom Caps, topped with Parmesan Cheese—Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Bruschetta—California Rolls with Fresh Ginger and Wasabi—Phyllo Baked Baby Brie Bites with Blueberries—Crispy Asparagus with Asiago and Fontina Cheese wrapped in and Baked in Puff Pastry—Vegetarian Cocktail Lumpia with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce—Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes filled with Asiago and Mascarpone Cheese, Garnished with Fresh Chives—Antipasta Skewer - Artichoke Hearts, Fresh Mozzarella, Kalamata Olives and Sundried Tomatoes Garnished with a Balsamic Glaze—Mini Portabella Brochetta." I paused and took a deep breath. "Oh my god! I could pick just out of this!" I exclaimed.

"What about the seafood?" Joe said, pointing to a few of his choices. "Miniature Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Aioli—European Cucumber Cup with Jumbo Lump Crab Salad—Scallops wrapped in Bacon—Citrus Seared Rosemary Scallops on bamboo Skewers—Shrimp wrapped in Bacon with Asian BBQ Sauce—Champagne Shrimp—Kahlua Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Wasabi Cocktail Sauce."

"Joseph, what are we going to do?"

"Okay, why don't we do this? Each of us will take a menu home with us over the weekend. We'll each choose five Hors D'oeuvres. We'll meet back here some time during the week and we'll see which items get the most votes. Keep in mind that most of the guests will be Italian."

I nodded my head in agreement.

"What about the main courses? You can choose two meats, but some of them come with a starch or a pasta. I'm pretty sure that counts as one meat and one starch."

She pulled out the main entrée menu. I looked down at it. Once again the menu was split only this time it was five categories. The same four as before but with Pork added.

"Oh boy."

"Now don't panic. We'll do the same with this one. Pick three you like, and we'll compare. Right now the important thing is to call to make the reservation."

"They should be open now. It's Friday night," I said with enthusiasm.

Joe pulled out his cell phone and called the hall. "Uh, yeah, hello. My name is Joseph Morelli. My sister called there today and spoke to a Robert?"… "Oh. Well, is it possible to reserve one of the dates that was given to us as available?" … "November—shit! What's the date?"

"The twenty-fifth," Valerie said quickly.

"November twenty-fifth." … "Yes, that's right, the day after Thanksgiving."… "A wedding."… "I know that's only five weeks away."… "Will you please have Robert call me to confirm this?"… "He doesn't come in until Monday?"… "What time?"… "Nine AM. Okay, I'll stop in."… "Yes, this is Joe Morelli, the cop."… "Thank you, that's very nice of you. I'll tell my fiancée that."… "Okay, thank you. Good-bye."

"Do you remember a Sherry from high school?"

"No, why?"

"Because Sherry said that I have a great ass."

We all laughed.

He gave us a wounded look. "What? You don't think I have a great ass?"

"I'm your mother-in-law. I'm not going there, but if your grandmother was here, I'm pretty sure she would speak for all of us."

"A girl you don't even know hit on you over the phone. Do you really need confirmation?"

"Okay, let's go home, and you can remind me of how great it is."

"Sounds like a great plan to me!"

"Wait!" Valerie said as we got up.

"What now?" I replied rather abruptly.

"You need to put together a list of guests."

"Now?" Joe replied.

"No, but soon. We need to pick out invitations in the next week and get them out ASAP."

"Stephanie can pick out invitations," Joe said casually.

I shot him a look.

"Jesus! Okay—okay. We'll look tomorrow."

"Go to Party City. They have a good selection, and they'll print them quickly," Valerie informed us.

I stepped into the living room while Joe got Bob in from the back yard. "Mattie, are you staying all night?"

"No, but I don't have a way to get home."

"I told you that you could take the Buick."

"But you never gave me any keys."

I padded back into the kitchen and retrieved the keys off the hook. "Here you go. It's Grandma's car, but I'm sure she won't mind. She can't drive it anyway. She lends it to me all the time."

"Thanks. Do you mind if I finish watching the movie?"

"Dad?"

"Sure, Mateo's fine."

I walked over and kissed my dad on the cheek. "Thank you, for everything."

I hugged Mattie good-bye. "Call me in the morning. I want to go to Jason's game. You'll slide by and pick me up?"

"I thought Joe was going."

"Going to what?" Joe asked, as he entered the living room.

"Mattie's son has a baseball game tomorrow. I want to go. I wanted you to go, but now you said you have to work."

"What time does it start?"

"It starts at noon."

"I'll see if I can meet you there."

"The movie's back on," my father said loudly.

"Sorry! Call me in the morning," I said in a low voice.

"I will. Have a good night."

Joe and I stepped out onto the porch, and my eyes immediately honed in on the Porsche Carrera sitting by the curb. My heart sped up. "He brought it back," I said out loud.


	11. Chapter 11

PLAYING BALL

"The Porsche?"

"Yeah, he took it back, but then Kaiser shot out the tires on Mattie's car."

Joe shook his head. "Wait, what?"

"We were watching Kaiser's house…"

Joe exploded. "Are you kidding me? I told you to stay away from him! He's a rapist and a murderer! Why? Why can't you listen to me just once?"

"He's not a murderer," I said dryly.

"Just because we haven't been able to prove it doesn't mean he's not a murderer! Jesus, Stephanie!" He raked his fingers through his hair.  
>The porch light next door went on. "Can we talk about this when we get home?"<p>

"Follow me to the liquor store. I need a bottle of rum," he growled.

"I'll meet you at the house."

He got in my face. "Follow—me—to—the—liquor—store—please."

"O—kay." I snarled back.

"Take Bob with you."

"Fine."

I opened the door, and Bob jumped into the Porsche. I slid into the driver's seat, and there was an envelope behind the steering wheel. It said 'Babe'.

I pulled it from its resting place and stared at it. I wanted to read it, but then again, I didn't. I took a deep breath. Joe pulled up next to me. I rolled down my window.

"Are you going to follow me?"

"Yes, I'm going to follow you." I started the car. Joe pulled forward to the end of the block and waited for me to pull up behind him.

I stuffed the envelope in my bag and followed Joe. He pulled up to the liquor store. It was ten minutes to ten. The store was about to close. Joe got out and walked over to my door. I rolled down my window.

"What?" I asked.

"Come on."

"I'll wait for you here."

"No, you won't. Come on."

"Joe!" I whined.

"Listen, I'm not going to take a chance that Kaiser is following you. If I come out and you're gone, I'll never forgive myself for giving him the perfect opportunity."

I rolled my eyes and opened the door. "Okay!" I said in defeat. I had to shove Bob back as I got out. "We'll be right back," I assured Bob as if he could understand me.

Joe moved swiftly through the store picking up a bottle of tequila and a bottle of Jamaican rum. "You want anything?" he asked.

"Joe, I'm pregnant."

"Shit, I forgot."

"You forgot I was pregnant?"

"No," he sputtered. "I forgot you can't drink."

We drove home without incident. He had me park in the driveway and he parked on the street. When we got inside, he made me stay put while he checked the house. I could hear Rex running on his wheel. Joe went to check upstairs, and I went into the kitchen. Rex stopped running and blinked at me.

"Hey, Rex, I'll bet you're starving." I rifled through the cabinet and found my box of saltines. I pulled a cracker out, broke it into four pieces, and dropped it into his tank. He scurried toward the cracker, picked it up, and disappeared in his soup can. I opened the refrigerator, pulled a piece of lettuce and a grape from the crisper, and dropped them into the tank as well. I was filling Rex's water bowl as Joe entered the kitchen. He didn't say anything. He went straight to the alcohol. He pulled the rum from the bag and proceeded to make himself a rum and coke. He sucked down half the glass. He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest.

"What am I going to do with you, Stephanie?"

"Love me?" I said innocently.

"Cupcake, I couldn't love you more. I just wish you would take your morality more seriously. You've dodged a bullet too many times. I have this sinking feeling that your luck is about to run out, and if I lose you…"

I interrupted him. "Joe, you won't lose me."

"You don't know that," he said in distress.

"I'll take precautions. I'll carry my gun."

"You don't even know how to shoot it. That's as good as giving Kaiser another weapon."

"I know how to use a gun. I just haven't practiced in a while. Ranger has a shooting range in the basement. I could ask him to book me some practice time."

"Good way for you to spend some time with him," he said dryly.

"Joe, you can't expect me and Ranger to just pretend we're not friends."

"You're not friends, you're lovers." He was obviously getting angry.

"Were—past tense. We've talked. He knows I've chosen you, and he accepts that. We are still friends." I walked up to him, leaned against him, and batted my eyelashes.

He creased his eyebrows. "I wish you were begging for sex right now."

"I could be."

"Yeah?"

My breasts were resting on his folded arms.

"Are you gonna trust me with Ranger?"

"It's just target practice, right?"

"Right, as a matter of fact, I bet Mattie could use some practice, too. I'll see if we can both go."

His arms were still folded, but he managed to use his thumb to caress my nipple through my clothes. I stepped away from him and lifted my shirt up and over my head. Joe grabbed his drink and downed the rest in one long chug. He placed the glass in the sink and put his arms loosely around me, so he could kiss the cleavage that spilled out over the top of my bra. The bra suddenly broke free. Joe had unhooked it, and he pulled the straps from my shoulders and admired my breasts as the bra was pulled away, exposing them.

"You always look at my breasts as if you were seeing them for the first time."

"I'm a breast man and you, cupcake, have perfect breasts."

This was what I loved about Joe. He always made me feel so beautiful. He swept me off my feet and into his arms and proceeded to carry me up the stairs. I looked into his eyes as he carried me, and there was no question that he loved me. It was written all over his face.

"Joe, please make love to me."

He gave me a confused look. "What did you think I was going to do?"

"I know, but you said you were going to make me beg for it. I figured I'd get the begging part out of the way, so we wouldn't waste any time."

His face twisted into a brilliant smile. He placed me on the bed and crawled over the top of me. "I love you, Stephanie."

Joe did all the things that he knew I loved in order to satisfy me. He knew that I liked to taste him as much as he loved to taste me. After he satisfied me, he lay back, and I returned the favor. He wouldn't allow himself to climax before he stopped me. "Cupcake, I want you."

He rolled me onto my back and climbed on top of me. He interlaced his fingers with mine. "Sweetheart, I don't mean to be so angry all the time. I just—I can't believe you are going to be…"

"Mrs. Stephanie Morelli?"

"I'd marry you tomorrow."

"November twenty fifth. I just hate that it's on a day they call 'Black Friday'."

"You know what? I don't care if the guests get into an all out brawl as long as it happens after the part where the priest says, 'I now pronounce you man and wife'."

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to make love to me or not?"

He smiled. "Are you begging?"

I pulled my hands from his and grabbed him around the back of the neck and pulled him to me. I latched onto his neck and proceed to give him a hickey.

"Oh, shit!" he sputtered. A moment later he pushed his rock hard dick into me. He filled my vagina, and I took a deep breath. He was all business now. He concentrated only on me. I was transformed to another place, another time, as he pumped his swollen manhood in and out of me, first slow and then hard and fast. Just as I would come close to screaming out he would slow down again. He was teasing me, and he was enjoying it. I knew after tonight's sex, I would be sore in the morning. Extremely happy, but sore. All I knew was we got home at ten, and when he finally breathed in the steady rhythm of sleep, it was just after midnight.

I was happy, but for the first time, I seriously considered the things that Joe had said the night before. He was afraid for me. Sometimes, I thought Ranger's concern for me was contingent on the fact that he just wanted to keep his finger on me. As long as he could track me, he felt a connection with me, but Joe—he and I had that connection. I was starting feel fear, too. I rolled towards Joe and snuggled into his body. Even in his sleep, he responded by pulling me tight to him.

"Sweetheart, wake up."

I stretched hard. "What time is it?"

"It's almost eight. I need to go to the precinct and finish up those reports as well as work on the murder on Stark Street. I called Ranger. He's got a man on the way. As soon as he arrives, I'm leaving."

"You called Ranger?"

"Yes, he and I have a mutual interest in your safety."

I thought about the letter still safely tucked into my purse.

"Who is he sending?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't go down stairs like that. _Please_, put some clothes on."

I ripped the blanket off of myself. "Awww! You don't like my birthday suit?"

"I love your birthday suit. I'm just really greedy." He leaned down to kiss me good-bye.

I wrapped my arms around his head. "You want to make love to me again?"

"Mmmmmm, tempting." He laid his head into the crook of my neck. "I thought you were going to Mattie's kid's game?"

"Right! Shoot, I need to get in the shower!"

I rolled off the bed, and Joe fell into my spot. "Hey!"

"Sorry, handsome. By the way, you have a hickey on your neck."

"Yeah, thanks. Where is this game?"

"I don't know. I'll call you and let you know?"

He gave me the once over. "You are so fucking hot. You know that?"

"I would give anything to hear you say that seven months from now."

He moved to me and let his finger slide down my cheek and across my chin. "I'll always think you're hot." He pressed his lips to mine, and the door bell rang. "Shit."

"I'll see you later," I said softly.

Joe put on his cop face. "Be aware of everything around you, okay?"

"I will."

I showered and dressed. I descended the stairs, and Tank was standing in the middle of the living room. He looked lost.

"You could have turned on the TV."

"It's too distracting."

I went to my purse to retrieve my phone, so I could call Mattie, and once again, the letter from Ranger drew my attention. I called Mattie on the phone. I confirmed that he would pick me up at ten. The game started at eleven, but the kids would be there early, and he wanted to introduce me to his son. I had some time, so I took the letter upstairs so I could read it. It destroyed me.

_Stephanie,_

_You hurt me. Yesterday, my primary motivation was to keep you safe. I wasn't trying to coerce you into my bed. I wanted to have a serious conversation about your decision to marry Morelli, and the impact it would have on our relationship and my heart. I have spent the last ten years guarding myself against emotions that would only serve to endanger not only myself but also the person I loved. I have feelings for you that I can't keep at bay. I would treasure keeping you in my life in whatever capacity you see fit. I won't deny that just as in the past, one hint from you, and I would ravage you again, because I love you. I hope this is not good-bye._

_ Carlos_

The tears came easily, and I wiped them from my cheeks with a shaky hand. I rushed down stairs and grabbed my phone. I dialed Mattie.

"Mattie, where is the game being played?"

"Fisher Field, why?"

"Can I meet you there?"

"I thought you needed a ride?"

"The Porsche has reappeared. I need to do something real quick. I'll be there by eleven, I promise."

"Okay, princess. I hope I see you there."

"You will."

I grabbed my coat and my purse and found Tank still standing in the middle of the living room. I approached the door.

"Are we moving?" Tank asked.

"Yes, I'm heading to Rangeman, and I would appreciate it you didn't warn Ranger."

"He'll see you coming."

I hated the fact that I could never just surprise him. I ignored Tank and marched out the door to the Porsche. I drove directly to the building that harboured not only Ranger's business but also his private living quarters. The gate opened before I even had the chance to use my fob. He knew I was coming. I parked and immediately exited the car. I headed straight for the elevator. I figured he would most likely be in his office, so I punched the button for the fifth floor. In truth, I was hoping he wouldn't be on the seventh floor. That was a little too close to his bedroom, and right now, my heart was feeling extremely vulnerable.

The elevator door opened, and Ranger was standing there in his usual black outfit. You would think one would get bored seeing someone in the same outfit. The thing is Ranger wore his clothes the way a cat wore fur. The clothes defined him.

"Babe, what are you doing here?"

I shot out of the elevator and into his arms. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. "I'm sorry, I hurt you. I was angry, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

He paused to drink in the moment. "I'm sorry I put you in the trunk. I just thought it was the best way to diffuse you. I was wrong," he whispered. We were still holding each other. I noticed there were no Rangemen in sight. He finally pulled away. "You've been crying."

"I read your letter."

"I didn't mean to make you cry. I just needed to get some things off my chest."

"I don't like hurting you."

His lips twisted into a smile. "You seemed to be enjoying the hell out if it, yesterday."

"I was mad at you."

"For kissing you?"

"No!—Yes—No!"

His smile widened. "Well, which is it, yes or no?"

I looked around. Even though I couldn't see anyone, I knew there were ears everywhere honed in on the conversation.

"Have you eaten? There's still breakfast in the kitchen."

"I could eat."

He released his grip on me. I followed him into the kitchen. He shut the door and pulled out his special fob that deactivated all devices that could monitor our actions. Only Ranger had the power to do this. He grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and poured me a glass of low acid orange juice.

"How are you feeling?"

"I haven't been throwing up the last few days, but I haven't eaten very much either, except last night. I had a good meal at my mother's."

"I guess it's a good thing you didn't eat that cheese steak."

"I really wanted the cheese steak, too." I picked up a sesame bagel and placed it in the toaster oven.

"So you never answered my question?"

"What question is that?"

"Were you mad at me for kissing you?"

"Ranger…"

"Carlos," he interrupted.

I took a deep breath. "Carlos. I love kissing you…"

"Good." He leaned in a planted his lips on mine. _Crap! Thank God we are in the kitchen and not near a bed._

The kiss only lasted a few seconds which was definitely a few seconds too long.

"What are you thinking?" he asked as he pulled back.

"I'm thinking I'm going to burn in hell."

"At least I'll finally have you to myself."

"Ranger…"

"Carlos," he reiterated.

"Carlos, I can't do this."

"You just said you love kissing me."

"I do. I just don't love the guilt that follows. I made a commitment to Morelli."

"If you feel this way about me, then maybe you shouldn't be making a commitment to Morelli."

"Just a few days ago, you thought it was good decision."

"Maybe, I've reconsidered."

"So, what? Are you saying you want to marry me?"

"What if I did?"

"I couldn't walk away from Joe. I'd cheat on you. Is that what you want?"

"I'd make you so happy; you wouldn't want to cheat on me."

"No, the truth is you'd have a tail on me every minute of every day, and instead of feeling like a wife, I'd feel like a prisoner."

"Is that what you think?"

"Carlos, I love you. I won't deny that, but I love Joe more. He's…he's…"

"He's what?"

"A perfect fit for me. I'm really happy when I'm with him."

He looked at the floor. "I'm not used to losing."

"It's not a loss. I'm still here, and I still care about you. As a matter of fact, I wanted to see if maybe you might have the time to give me some target practice."

"Sure, I can take you there now."

"I can't. I have to be at a baseball game."

He creased his eyebrows. "Baseball?"

"Mateo's son plays little league. I told him I would go. I'm trying to be supportive. He's going through a rough time."

"Why do you want target practice anyway? I thought you were giving up your job?"

"I promised Joe I would be more vigilant about taking care of me. Apparently, carrying a gun and knowing how to handle one is a positive step towards that end."

"I see. When would you like to do this?"

"Um—can Mattie come, too?"

"Is this to keep the wolf from preying on you?"

I chuckled. "No, he needs practice, too. I can handle the wolf."

"Are you sure?" he said leaning up against me. I could feel his manhood pressed against my belly.

"I'm not laying spread eagle on the table, am I?"

"I can most certainly remedy that if you like."

"Carlos, if you truly loved me, you would respect me."

He grazed his lips against my neck. "I have nothing but respect for you."

The toaster oven bell went off. "My bagel is ready, and your minute of debauchery is up."

He stepped back. "I have to give you credit. I thought you'd cave."

"Giving in would be easy. Losing Joe would be devastating," I said with resolve.

"Will you let me kiss you again before you tie the knot?"

"We'll see."

I ate my bagel while Ranger went to his office and checked the computer for an opening in the basement schedule that would work with his own schedule.

He came back and sat across from me. "How about Tuesday? Nine AM?"

I shook my head. "Tuesday sounds good."

I finished my bagel, and Ranger accompanied me to my car—his car. I hugged him good-bye. It was a heartfelt hug. I kissed him gingerly on the cheek and got in the car.

"Bye."

He punched the top of the car lightly, and I backed out of the spot. He watched me drive out of the garage, and Tank picked me up as I drove down the street. I headed back to the house to get Bob. I thought an afternoon in the park would be perfect for Bob.

I had only been to Fisher Park once before as a kid since it wasn't in my neighborhood. I punched it into the GPS of the Porsche. I arrived at the park, and Tank pulled up next to me. I got out and met him at the back of the SUV with Bob in tow.

"If you are going to follow me, you at least have to interact with me. Pretend you're my friend."

He looked wounded. "I've known you for years. I thought we were friends."

"I don't think I've ever heard you say my name."

"Stephanie. Do you feel better?" He took Bob's leash from me.

"Come on." I looped my arm through his at the elbow, and we walked towards the baseball field. There were three fields, and all three had games going on. I had no clue which field Mattie was on. I scanned the stands at each field until I spotted Mattie standing on the bleachers waving his arms.

"There he is!" I said enthusiastically.

I let go of Tank and took off toward Mattie. Tank and Bob jogged behind me. Mattie met me at the backstop. He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.

"I see you brought Tank."

"Yeah. I'm okay with the bodyguard for now." Mattie reached down and ruffled Bob's fur. Bob wagged his tail happily. Mattie took me by the hand and walked me back to the bleachers. He helped me up to where he had been previously sitting. Tank tied Bob's leash to the back of the bleachers and then climbed one step higher than where we were sitting and positioned himself directly behind me.

"So which one is your son?" I asked, as I leaned closer to him.

"He's playing first base," he said proudly.

"He looks like you."

"Yeah, so does my daughter. They have the Italian genes."

"Is your wife Italian?"

"No. She's English—like from England."

"Really?"

"Yep. Accent and all."

"No wonder you love her. If I found a guy with an English accent, I'd be a goner."

He nudged me. "Don't you have enough lovers?"

"Ooo, that reminds me. I have to call Joe."

I punched in his number on my phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sexy," I cooed.

"Who is this?"

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Oh, it's you. I thought it was my admirer from A Grand Affair."

"You know, it's not nice to mess with a pregnant woman."

"Sorry, sweetheart. I couldn't resist."

I went on to tell him which park we were at. He was familiar with it. Then I explained which field Mattie's son was playing on.

"He said he'll be here within a half hour."

At that moment, the batter hit a high pop up near first base. It was a foul ball, but Mattie popped to his feet. "Get under it, Justin!" he called out.

Justin tried to get to it, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Damn!" Mattie muttered as he sat back down.

I noticed a woman on one of the lower bleachers about twelve feet away turn and glare at him. She had bleached blonde hair cut into a neat bob. She had blue eyes and a cute turned up nose.

"Is that your wife?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"The look of love she gave you."

"She's pissed that I showed up early and interacted with the team."

The batter struck out and parents from the other team called out words of encouragement. Another batter came up to the plate. A young girl, who could only be Mattie's daughter, climbed the bleachers and stood squarely in front of us. She was dark haired like Mattie, and she had his beautiful almond shaped eyes. Unfortunately, she didn't inherit his gorgeous dimples.

"Dad, can I have some money for Nacho's?"

"Sure, angel. I'd like to introduce you to my friends. This is Stephanie and this big guy is Tank," he said motioning behind us. Tank flashed a quick smile and waved.

I put out my hand for her to shake. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

"Are you dating my father?" she said bluntly.

"Miranda, don't be rude."

"Mommy said you couldn't wait to get a new girlfriend."

"Mommy needs to keep her comments to herself," Mattie stated with disdain.

"Hey, would you introduce me to your mom?" I asked sweetly.

At that moment, the kid at bat hit the ball. Again, Mattie was on his feet yelling.

"One! One!"

The kid at third base scooped up the ball and threw it right at Justin on first base. The runner was out. All the kids on the field started to run toward the dugout.

"Good job, Danny and Justin!" Mattie yelled.

"Dad! Money?"

Mattie reached into his pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to Miranda who immediately began to descend the bleachers. "Thanks, Dad!" she said with a hint of an English accent.

"I want my change!" he called out.

"Kids. You really want to meet my wife?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Come on."

He took my hand and helped me down from the bleachers. "You know I'm perfectly capable of walking."

"You're pregnant, and I'm not going to have Morelli kicking my ass because I didn't take proper care of his fiancée."

Mattie's wife was watching us as we descended the bleachers. She was sitting on the bottom row. Mattie marched me right up to his wife. "Joanna, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Her name is Stephanie. She has been helping me get my life back on track."

Joanna gave me the once over. "I'll bet she has." She spoke with the most beautiful English accent.

I stuck out my hand. "It's nice to meet you. Mattie and I knew each other in high school."

"It figures he'd go back to high school and find his old girl friend."

"Well, we were a couple senior year, but we lost touch and recently ran into each other unexpectedly."

"Joanna, she's the one who…" He looked around and then leaned closer to her face. "…saved me."

"You're the bounty hunter?"

I smiled weakly. "Uh huh."

I spotted Joe across the field making a beeline for us. He was wearing his gun, and his shield was displayed on his belt. This was not a big deal for me, but these were kids on these fields. Joanna saw him, too.

"Uh oh. Mateo, what have you done now?"

"Nothing. He's Stephanie's fiancée. He's come to see the game."

One of the kids on Justin's team got a hit, and the crowd reacted. The boy made it to first base. There were lots of positive remarks being yelled out. Joe reached us, and he drew me into a hug.

"Where's your protection?" he whispered.

"Up there, on the bleachers."

"Joe, let me introduce you to Mattie's wife, Joanna. Joanna this is my…" I stumbled on the word. "…boy…I mean fiancé, Joe Morelli."

"Newly engaged, I imagine," she surmised by my clumsiness.

"You're from England."

"Yes, how perfectly astute of you," she said sarcastically.

Joe chuckled. "Actually, I spent some time in England when I was in the army."

"Really, where?"

"I was stationed in London, but I met a little lady who was from Staffordshire. I used to go to see her when I had 'leave'. Beautiful country."

The next thing I knew, Joe was seated next to Joanna, and they were having a _simply mahvolous conversation._ I didn't like her, and I surely didn't like her talking to my Joe. I marched my ass back up to where Tank was sitting. I sat next to him and pretended to concentrate on the game.

"What's the matter?" Tank asked.

"Nothing."

He didn't pursue the conversation.

Justin was on deck, so Mattie stood near the fence. Mattie was all about the game. The boy who batted before Justin struck out. Justin came up to bat, and I gave him my undivided attention. The first pitch was high.

"Wait for your pitch!" Joe called out.

The next pitch Justin swung at but missed.

"Keep your eye on it, son!" Mattie called out.

The next pitch came in perfect. Justin swung and connected. He hit it just over the second baseman's head. The outfielder came in to retrieve the ball. Justin was already past first and headed for second. That's when my own instincts took over, and I jumped to my feet yelling "slide!"

He slid into second, and there was a cloud of dust.

"Safe!" the umpire bellowed. The crowd erupted. I sat back down and looked at Tank. He was smiling at me.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said still smiling.

Joe was standing now, and he turned to face me. I glared down at him and then looked back at the game. He climbed the bleachers and sat next to me. "What was the look for?"

"I didn't know you like English girls," I said snidely.

"I like all girls, but there's only one girl I love."

The boy at bat hit a long ball, and Justin took off running. Everyone rose to their feet, even Tank. Justin crossed the plate and a few moments later, so did the batter. It was a home run. Mattie was beside himself with joy. Once the excitement waned, everyone sat back down.

Joe nudged me. "You want to go make out under the bleachers?"

"Are you sure you don't want to make out with the English chick?"

"Maybe later," he teased.

My first instinct was to walk away. I stood up quickly and lost my balance. Both Joe and Tank reached out to catch me. Each had a hold of my arm. Tank let go when he saw that I had regained my balance, but Joe took the opportunity to pull me into his lap.

"I'm not letting you go until I get a kiss."

"Joe!" I protested.

"Fine. I'll just go back to work."

I placed both of my hands on his face. "You are not going back to work. We have to look at invitations."

"I'm not feeling particularly 'invitational' today."

I planted my lips on his and kissed him. "Are you feeling invitational now?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

I kissed him again. "Now?"

"I felt something, not sure what."

I kissed him again. This time, it was a full on kiss. I pushed my tongue into his mouth, and he reciprocated. We played tongue tag for a good ten seconds. I was sitting in his lap, and I felt his dick harden against my doodah. I pulled away smiling.

I leaned to his ear and whispered, "I felt something."

"Wanna go home?" he said softly.

"After the game, we have to drop off Bob anyway."

Joe shifted me off of his lap, and we watched the rest of the game. I let Tank know that I would be with Joe for the rest of the day, but he said that Ranger didn't need to know that until after the game was over. He was enjoying the bright sunshine, and the peace that goes with watching children have a good time. I thought Tank would probably make a good father. I was just grateful it wouldn't be with Lula.

Near the end of the game, Joe and I descended the steps to retrieve Bob. We found Miranda sitting with him, petting him. Bob was lying calmly enjoying the attention.

"Is this your dog?"

"Yes. Miranda, I'd like you to meet my—fiancé, Joe." I turned to Joe. "Joe, this is Mattie's daughter, Miranda."

"Nice to meet you," he replied.

"Are you a cop?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And that gun is real?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She paused as if she were digesting the idea of a man out in public with a real gun. She finally began to pet Bob again. "I like your dog."

"His name is Bob."

"My mum won't let me have a dog—or a cat either. Pets are messy, she says."

I laughed at the thought of Bob's frequent yacking up of the various things he'd eaten in the past. He was more mature now, and his habit of eating virtually everything was waning. Now, it usually consisted of the boxes and bags that fast food came in. The simple solution to that was making sure the wrappings were thrown in the outside trash.

"We were going to take him for a walk around the pond. Would you like to come?"

"Let me ask my dad." She got up and bolted to Mattie. He turned and smiled. He said something to her, and she came back. "Can I walk him?"

"Sure," Joe said sweetly.

We began to walk, and Joe put his arm over my shoulders. "You know, I've always wanted a son, but a daughter might not be so bad."

"You like her."

"She's cute."

Suddenly, my eyes focused on a man walking a dachshund. I stopped dead in my tracks. Joe had his arm wrapped around my shoulder, and my sudden stop pulled him into an awkward step. "What's wrong with you?"

"Look!"

"What is he doing here?" Joe pulled out his phone.

"Kaiser's here." … "Yeah, Tank's here." … "I don't want to pull a gun. He's walking his friggin' dog." … "All right." He hung up.

"Go to the car. Ranger says there's a stun gun in the glove box."

"You talked to Ranger?"

"Just do what I ask?"

"What about Miranda?"

"Do you want to take him in or not?"

"Okay! Just keep an eye on Miranda!" I turned and bolted back towards the field. I got to the bleachers, and I ran to Mattie. "Kaiser's here! Joe's keeping an eye on him."

"Where's Miranda?"

"She's walking the dog. I'm going to get the stun gun. Take Tank with you!" I called out as I ran for the car.

I got to the car, and I noticed an envelope stuffed under the windshield. I pulled it out and opened it. There were pictures of me inside—me walking Bob, me in the backyard watching Mattie with Mary Alice, me at the mall talking to Ranger, me at the liquor store with Joe. The last picture was disturbing. It was a picture of me hanging by my wrists with my legs spread apart, and Kaiser shoving his hard-on into me. It wasn't really me and Kaiser, but like before, our faces had been taped onto the bodies. I felt the bile rise up into my throat. I puked in the parking lot. I finished yacking, and I looked up to see Richard on the other side of the lot. He blew me a kiss as he angled his way into his car. He circled the lot and stopped next to me. His window was rolled down.

"If you're feeling frisky, you can get in. I'll show you a good time."

"I have a better idea. Why don't you come with me down to the station so we can reschedule your court appearance?" I said bravely.

"Fat chance of that happening. Oh well, your jealous fiancé is coming. Later, Ms. Plum."

Kaiser peeled out of the lot as Joe, Tank, and Mattie all converged on me at once. "Are you all right?" Joe asked as he faced me.

I was still shaking. "I'm fine. I threw up."

He picked up the pictures I had dropped on the ground when I became ill.

"GOD DAMN IT!" he cried out when he saw the pictures.


	12. Chapter 12

STRESS

Joe managed to pull himself together before we met up with Miranda and Bob by the baseball field.

"Where did you all go?" Miranda asked.

"Stephanie felt sick. She's pregnant you know. We got her to the bathroom," her father informed her.

"Really? Congratulations!"

"I think we should get going. I'm still not feeling well. I'm sorry we didn't get to meet Justin."

"It's okay. Maybe one day when I have the kids, we can all go to dinner," Mattie replied.

Miranda got on her knees and hugged Bob. "Bye, Bob. It was really nice to meet you."

"Maybe one day soon, you can come to our house and visit Bob," I replied.

"Sure," Joe reiterated. "I usually watch the game on Sunday. Maybe your dad would like to come watch some football."

"I'd like that very much," Miranda replied in a sweet voice.

We said our good-byes to Joanna, and I gave Mattie a heartfelt hug. Joe followed me home. Once we got inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was exhausted from the morning's events.

"Joe, I'm going to take a little nap. Do you mind?"

"Do you mind if I lay with you?"

At that moment, having him wrapped around me sounded extremely wonderful. "Only if you promise to hold me."

He crossed the living room and drew me into his arms. No words were spoken. He just held me for a good long minute.

"You go up. I need to check my e-mail on a case. I'll be up in a minute."

I sprawled out on the bed, and Joe joined me a few minutes later. He put his arm around me, and I nuzzled into his chest. I finally felt safe. I closed my eyes and promptly fell asleep.

"Babe?"

"Ranger?" I opened my eyes, and Joe was looking down at me.

"Dreaming about Ranger?"

"You called me 'Babe'."

He rolled away from me. "I didn't know Ranger had the market cornered on the word 'babe'," he sneered.

"Joseph, don't be like that. You can't blame me for something I said in a semi-conscious state."

He didn't answer. Instead, he changed the subject. "I thought you wanted to look at wedding invitations."

"I do, but we need to figure out who we are inviting."

We got up, went downstairs, and got right to business. Joe pushed his jealousy of Ranger aside. We started with the obvious which were immediate family; my parents, Val and Albert, Joe's mom and grandmother, Anthony and Angelina, his sister, Cathy and her husband, his cousin Mooch and his wife, Shirley.

"Have you decided who's going to be your maid of honor and your bridesmaids?" Joe asked.

"Well, Val will be my Matron of Honor."

"Yeah, I figured Anthony should be my best man. After all, we are brothers."

"As for bridesmaids, if I didn't ask Lula she would probably boycott the wedding."

Joe laughed. "You think you can choose a bridesmaid dress that she'll be happy with?"

"Hell, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it."

"Well, maybe you should warn whoever else you choose that they'll be in for a fight over dresses. Maybe they could band together to battle Lula."

"I was going to choose Connie. She's not afraid to fight with Lula. I have to ask Mary Lou. She's been my best friend since high school."

"Three bridesmaids?"

"You think I need more?"

"No. I'm just trying to figure out who the hell I'm going to ask to be the groomsmen."

"Well, you could ask Mooch."

"Thanks. He was the easy one."

"Sorry! There must be two other guys you can ask!"

"Okay, I'm friends with half the police force. How am I supposed to choose two?"

"Well, maybe you could choose by the ones who I know the best, like Carl."

"Costanza? Yeah, we're buddies. What about Gus Chianni?"

"Your old drinking buddy?"

"Yeah, he and I have been friends since I was just a kid."

"I was gonna suggest Eddie."

"Eddie's okay, but I'd rather have Gus. It's supposed to be my friends, right?"

"Right. I'm sorry."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be sorry. Besides, someone has to walk down the aisle with Lula."

"You have a point. Okay, we have the potential bridal party. I suppose we should ask them soon. I mean we only have five weeks."

"True, maybe we can visit a few of them after we do the invitation thing."

We continued making out a guest list. The Morelli side of the list was pretty daunting. By the time we finished, we had one hundred and twenty guests which was more than we had planned on.

"What are we going to do?"

"Don't panic. We have twenty thousand dollars. We can invite a hundred and twenty people."

"Joe, once we're married, I won't be working. We're going to need that money."

"You won't have an apartment either, so you _won't_ be needing rent money. Have you put in your notice yet?"

"Not yet."

Joe was quiet. He got up to get a drink out of the fridge. I knew it was his way of walking away from the situation without getting into a screaming match.

"You asked me to marry you last week!" I said in my defense. "We hadn't even set a date for the wedding until yesterday! I'll do it Monday."

He sighed and chugged the orange juice from the carton. "Are we ready to go?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I'm not done talking yet. Another thing we have to worry about is the fact that I don't have a car!"

He plopped the carton of orange juice on the counter. "You know I've never seen you worry about money before. You always seemed to muddle through. Why all the worry about money now? I'll take care of us."

"I don't want you to take care of us!"

"What are you saying Stephanie?"

"This marriage is a partnership. If I wanted to be subservient, I would have married Ranger!" I knew as soon as the words came out that I wished I hadn't said them.

"So, you chose me because you thought you could boss me around?" He was clearly about to blow.

"No, I chose you because I love you, and I can't see me living my life without you."

"I think this is not about the money. This is about your damn job!"

"There's something else you haven't taken into consideration."

He placed his hands on his hips. "What?" he snapped.

"My health insurance is through Vinnie. If I quit my job, I won't have any health insurance. Even if you put me on your health plan, pregnancy is a pre-existing condition, and I won't be covered. The entire pregnancy and the birth will be coming out of our pocket, and since I don't have any money, it all comes down on you."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"Valerie went through it with Lisa. They are still paying for it."

He sighed and paced the room. "You know what really sucks?"

"What?"

"Right now, I just want to walk out of here, go to the nearest bar, and get trashed, but I can't. I can't take the chance on leaving you alone because that son-of-a-bitch could come in here and hurt you while I'm gone."

"Fine, go get trashed. I'll just go to my parents' house." I grabbed the keys to the Porsche.

"Stephanie!" he called out in an effort to stop me.

"Screw it, Joe. This is never going to work. We are both too damned stubborn to get married."

"Fine! Have it your way! We'll raise the kid as two people who have a love/hate relationship."

"Fine!"

I stormed out the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" he asked as he followed me.

"Away from you!" I angled my way into the Porsche and sped off down the street. I was too furious to cry. Why couldn't he see that I needed my job at least until the baby was born? I was so angry I wanted to spit! I was headed in the direction of my apartment. I pulled out my cell phone. I called Valerie.

"Hello?"

"The wedding is off! I'm not marrying anyone—EVER!"

"Steph? Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to the apartment."

"I'll be right there."

I sped into my parking lot. It was only half full. It was Saturday afternoon, and most of the people in my apartment building were old and generally visited their families especially on a day like today when it was nice. I shot out of the car and moved quickly to the building. I felt uncomfortable with the fact that I didn't have a Rangeman following me. I probably should have gone to my mother's, but I really didn't want to face her right now. I wanted the serenity of my apartment. Besides, Valerie would be here soon, right? I entered the building and walked cautiously towards the elevator. The door opened, and Mrs. Bestler scared the living daylights out of me.

"Going up, my dear?"

"Jesus!" I said as I clutched my chest.

She smiled pleasantly. "No Jesus. We have cosmetics and ladies' handbags on the second floor."

"Thank you. Second floor sounds good."

"Who's the new fella you got staying with you?"

My heart leapt into my throat. "What new fella?"

"Nice looking young man, sandy blond hair. Tall with a good build."

She had just described Kaiser to a 'T'. _Shit! What am I gonna do? _Then it came to me. Mrs. Keene had a gun. I walked to Mrs. Keene's door and knocked. She opened it after a long minute.

"Stephanie! What a pleasure it is to see you!"

"Hi. Do you still have a gun?"

"Why, of course!"

"Can I borrow it?"

"What on earth for?"

"I think there may be someone in my apartment, and I don't want to go in unarmed."

"Do you want me to call the police?"

I knew if the police were called in, Joe would be here in a hot minute. If there was no one, he would assume I did it to get him to the apartment. No way was I going to argue with him anymore today.

"No, if I'm not back with your gun in five minutes, then you can call the police."

"All right, dear. I'll watch from the door."

"Thanks."

I knocked on my door. "I know you're in there. I have a gun!" I called out. "You had better come out, or I will shoot you."

There was no answer. I unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. I had the gun in my hand like a cop ready to shoot.

"Hello? This gun is loaded. I'll shoot and ask questions later."

Still no answer. My heart was pounding right out of my chest. I heard water running. It was my shower. Someone was in my shower. Unless—someone wanted me to think they were in my shower. I entered the building and dropped my purse on the hall table. I was so nervous, I had to pee. I backed along the wall and surveyed the living room. I didn't see anyone. I pivoted when I got to the corner. There was no one in the kitchen, but there was a mess all over the counter. Someone had definitely been in here. I slowly maneuvered my way towards the bedroom where the shower was running. My knees were shaking, and I was feeling very nauseas. I was praying I had the guts to shoot him. I slid along the wall into the room. I was on the opposite side of the bed from the bathroom. The door was open. Whoever was in the shower turned off the water, and the shower door opened. I held my breath.

"I have a gun!" I yelled, and I squeezed off a shot into the wall outside the bathroom.

The showered door slammed shut. "Jesus, Stephanie! It's me! Diesel!"

"Diesel?"

He opened the shower door and stepped out wearing only a towel. He looked like a friggin' Greek god. Put him and Halosaurus on a stage together, and you would have every girl's wet dream.

"Do you really want to shoot me?"

"Damn it, Diesel! What are you doing here?"

"I have business in town, so I thought I'd come and visit you. You never came home, so I thought I'd borrow your place for a few days."

"You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry, princess."

He stumbled out of the bathroom and crawled across the bed on his knees. "Don't I get a hug?"

"You're crazy. You know that?"

He took the gun from my hand and set it on the dresser. He engulfed me in his massive arms. He pulled me down on the bed and lay on top of me. "Now, this is nice."

"Diesel, get off. I have to go return the gun to Mrs. Keene before she calls the police."

"Party pooper."

He rolled off of me, and the towel opened revealing the other muscle, and believe me, it was nothing to scoff at. "Diesel! Would you please get dressed? My sister is on her way over."

"Hey, there's plenty of me to go around," he joked.

"She's in there!" I heard Mrs. Keene say.

A minute later, Carl Costanza was standing in the doorway to my bedroom with his gun drawn.

Diesel popped to his feet and adjusted the towel. "It's not what you think. I'm a friend!"

I shook my head in disbelief. "Somebody please shoot me."

I could hear my phone ringing in the other room.

"Stephanie, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I came into my apartment, and he was here."

"Do you want me to arrest him for breaking and entering?"

"No, I need to get that phone. It's probably Joe."

I stepped past Carl and headed for my purse. Mrs. Bestler and Mrs. Keene were both standing in the hallway.

"Are you okay? I called the police when I heard the shot," Mrs. Keene announced.

"I'm fine. I thought it was someone who's been stalking me, but it turns out it was just an old friend." I handed Mrs. Keene her gun. "You can go back to your apartment now. Everything is fine."

I pulled my phone from my purse and dialed Joe. "What the hell is going on? I'm sitting here drinking a beer, and my phone is blowing up. There were shots fired in your apartment? I thought you were going to your mother's?"

"I don't have to answer to you. The wedding's off, remember?"

"Stephanie, don't be ridiculous! I'm on my way."

"No! I don't want you here!"

"Fine. You want a little time apart. I can respect that, but I don't want you to stay in that apartment alone."

"I won't be alone."

He was silent on the other end. I considered telling him that Diesel was here, but I wasn't exactly sure that would fly any better than if I told him Ranger was here. Before I made up my mind as to what to tell him, he hung up. _Shit!_

I dialed him back. He didn't answer. At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Val stepped into the hall.

"What's going on? The cops wouldn't let me up because they said there were shots fired?"

"It was me. There was someone in my apartment. I fired the shot to scare him."

"Oh my god! Did it scare him off?"

"No, he's still here."

Valerie and I entered the apartment as Diesel stepped into the living room. He was wearing a pair of jeans and not much else.

"Holy crap! Does Joe know about him?"

"There's nothing going on. Diesel is just a friend."

Carl interrupted us. "Did you talk to Morelli?"

"Sort of."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"It means I don't know where we stand. I think the wedding's off." A tear slid down my cheek.

Diesel pulled me to his amazing chest. "Because of me?" he asked.

"No," I croaked. "Because we just don't want the same things."

"You want me to talk to him?" Carl asked.

"I don't know. I don't think it will help."

My phone rang. I checked the number hoping it was Joe. "It's mom," I said to Val.

"You better answer it."

"I don't want to talk to her."

"I told Albert that I was coming over to take you out to look at wedding gowns. I didn't want him to know that you…" She couldn't say it. "You need to answer it."

"Hello?"

"Stephanie?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Joseph just called me. He said you want to cancel the wedding? He's very upset."

"Mom, I have to go."

"Stephanie, don't you hang up on me!"

I hung up on her.

"What?" Val asked.

"Joe called her."

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah, oh shit."

"What did he say to her?"

"He said I canceled the wedding. He was upset."

"Well see?" Diesel broke in. "That's good, isn't it?"

"No, it's not good. He just wants me cave in to his demands."

"Well, technically, you already did. You told him that you would quit your job right after you got married," Val reminded me.

"If I quit my job, then I won't have any health insurance."

"So you're calling off your wedding over health insurance?" Diesel surmised.

"What am I supposed to do, sit home and play housewife? You might as well stick a fork in me!"

Val looked wounded. "I'm a housewife," she said meekly.

I looked at her. "And that's fine for you. You have four kids!"

"Well, you're pregnant. Soon you'll have a little baby of your own to take care of."

That fear of being responsible for a tiny helpless child crept into me. "I can't be a mother! I have no parenting skills!"

Val rushed over and hugged me. It's not as hard as you think. As soon as you give birth, parent skills automatically kick in."

"She's right," Carl replied. "My wife became mother extraordinaire as soon as my daughter was born. She was an only child like you. She never even babysat."

"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," Diesel exclaimed.

"I haven't eaten since this morning," I said as I thought back to the bagel I had eaten at Ranger's.

"Why don't we go out for an early dinner—my treat." Diesel suggested.

"Val?"

"Sure, let me call Albert and tell him he can order a pizza for dinner."

"Guess, I'll get going. I get off in a few. You want me to check on Morelli?"

"I don't think he's home. He said he needed a drink."

"Gotcha. I think I know where he is."

Carl headed out, and we headed for the restaurant. We went in Val's SUV to the steakhouse over by the mall. Diesel offered an arm to each of us, and we all walked in feeling pretty special.

The conversation at the table was pleasant and not forced. Diesel in his slick way managed to steer clear of any conversations that had to do with babies, marriage, or Morelli. The waitress came over, took one look at Diesel, and he flashed those dimples.

"Hi, my name is Amy, and I will be your waitress tonight. Can I take your drink order?" She was talking to all of us, but she was looking only at Diesel.

"Princess?" Diesel asked in an effort to get me to order first.

"Um, unsweet tea with lemon?"

"I'll have the same," Val chimed in.

Diesel took my hand in his and pulled it to his lips. "Hmmm, let's see what kind of beer tastes good with this little finger here." He slipped my ring finger into his mouth. "Mmmmm, Corona," he said with a smile. The waitress looked envious at the attention I was receiving and then rolled her eyes.

"Would you like to start with an appetizer?"

Diesel's attention was still on my fingers as he caressed them. "Yeah," he said abruptly. "Get us one those onion things."

"One 'bloomin' onion' coming right up."

"Thank you." He flashed the dimples again.

I pulled my hand back, and Val stared at my hand. "Where's your ring?"

"What? Oh my god! My ring! It's gone!" I said in a panic.

"Crap! I hate when that happens." All of a sudden the ring appeared between his teeth.

"Give me that!" I hissed, as I snatched it from his lips.

"How'd you do that?" Valerie said in amazement.

"He's special," I said sarcastically.

"Why thank you, baby. Oh, and by the way, that little bambino you're carrying? A boy."

"Are you sure?" I said with urgency.

He laughed. "You are so gullible."

"Shut up!"

The waitress brought out our bloomin' onion, and we all dug in. I was starving. By the time dinner was over, I felt much better both physically and emotionally. Diesel knew how to keep a person smiling. I was really surprised that no one had ever managed to sink her claws into him by now. Then again, he did have the ability to 'pop' in and out of people's lives.

Valerie decided to head for home. Diesel and I went back into the apartment. It was a cold night. Winter was definitely not far away. We settled in on the couch and Diesel put his arm around me.

"You mind if I stay tonight?"

Normally I would have minded, but considering Kaiser seemed to have the pulse on my whereabouts, I thought having Diesel here was a blessing.

"No, but you need to wear clothes to bed."

"Cool."

It was about ten o'clock when there was a loud knock on the door. I approached the door cautiously with Diesel by my side. Suddenly, someone pounded on the door. "Honey! Daddy's home! Open up."

"Jesus, that's Joe."

I swung the door open, and Joe was standing there rocking back on his heels. Carl and Mickey Bolan, another plain clothes cop, were with him.

I looked at Carl. "He's shit faced."

Joe lost his balance and took a half step to the left to keep from falling. "I have shit on my face?" He was slurring his words. "Why didn't you tell me?" He said looking at Carl. Then he focused his attention on Diesel. "Was-a-matter? Ranger busy tonight?"

I pulled my hand back to hit him, but Diesel caught my arm.

Joe creased his eyebrows. "Let go of her," he growled.

"Sorry, Stephanie. We were going to bring him home, but he insisted on coming here." Carl offered as an explanation.

"You mean he's been at the bar all day?"

"Well, in his defense, at least three women offered to take him home and help him sober up."

"Shit. Bob must be dying by now." I turned to Diesel. "Will you watch him while I go get Bob?"

Joe grabbed my wrist. "No. Stay with Iron Man. I'll go."

Diesel stepped forward. "I'll go. I can stay with him there. Bob's the dog, right?"

I cracked a smile. "Yes. Here's my keys."

Diesel went to the couch and put on his shoes. "I need a vehicle."

I grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter. "Here. Take the Porsche."

"Sweet."

Diesel grabbed his coat and he and Carl and Mickey turned to leave. Carl turned back before I shut the door. "Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

I shut the door, and I noticed that Joe was gone. "Joe?"

I went to the bedroom, and he was sprawled out on his back across the bed.

"Do you love me, cupcake?"

I didn't answer. I pulled off his shoes as he fumbled with his shirt.

"God damn it! Fucking buttons."

"I'll get it." I sat on the bed next to him and unbuttoned his shirt.

He reached up and pulled his fingers through my hair and held the back of my head. "You know I would die without you." He tried to rise up to kiss me.

"You're drunk, Joe," I said as I pulled away.

"Fine. I'll leave."

"No. I'm glad that you came. Can't you just hold me?"

"Maybe you'd rather have cro-magnon man here with you?"

"Stop it, Joe!" I was so angry I couldn't hold back the tears. I rolled away from him, and the water works began. I hated being pregnant. I hated not being able to keep my emotions in check.

Joe scooted up behind me. He pulled the hair off of my face. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just so fucking scared."

I rolled towards him, and he pulled me into his arms.

"Would you still love me if I went to jail?"

"Why would you go to jail?"

"Murder."


	13. Chapter 13

BUSY SUNDAY

"You murdered someone?"

He had drifted off.

I shook him violently. "Joe!"

He opened his eyes and stared at me like a stranger. "What?"

"You murdered someone?"

"I'll do it in the morning," he muttered as his eyes closed again.

_Damn it! Don't panic, girl. Just check his gun to see if it's been discharged._ I checked the drawer next to the bed. No gun. _Shit! Maybe he got rid of it! _

I bolted out of the bed and pulled my cell phone from my purse. I pulled up Carl Costanza on my contacts.

"Hello?"

"Carl? Did Joe have his gun with him at the bar?"

"Not that I saw. It's probably at the house."

"Thanks."

I disconnected and called the house. "Come on, Diesel, pick up." I paced the floor. It went to voice mail. I figured I'd give him another few minutes to get to the house and let Bob out. I went back into the bedroom and changed into my silky pajamas. Joe was lightly snoring. I unzipped his jeans and pulled with all my might to get his pants off of him. As soon as they were off he rolled to his side. The problem now was he was on top of the blanket. Getting him under the blanket was going to take some strategy. I pulled back the blankets on my side of the bed and proceeded to roll him in that direction. He was like a sack of potatoes. "Joe, move over!" I grunted as I pushed. He rolled, and I yanked the blankets back that he had been lying on. I covered him up to his waist with the blanket.

Joe looked so peaceful. My mind went back to Joe's statement about murder. Joe had killed before, but it was in self defense. I hoped he wouldn't be capable of cold blooded murder even for my sake. I redialed the number, and again it went to voice mail. "Diesel, if you're there, please, pick up." I was about to hang up when he answered.

"What can I do you for, princess?"

"I need to know if Joe's gun is in the house."

"Where would I find it?"

"Check the night stand by the bed."

"Okay. You know, your dog crapped like three times, and I'm not sure, but I think he ate a bird. There were feathers stuck to him—oh shit!"

"What?"

"He didn't eat a bird. He ate a pillow. There are feathers everywhere on the bed."

"He does that sometimes. I'll get it tomorrow. You can sleep in the spare room. It's made up. What about the gun?"

"Got it. It's right here."

"Is it loaded?"

"Yep. The chamber is full."

"Oh, thank God!"

"Why all the worry?"

"He said something about murdering someone before he passed out, and I got worried."

"Sweetheart, you need to stop stressin'. Your aura is all out of whack. It can't be good for the little guy."

"I know. Are you coming back here tomorrow?"

"I've got some business I need to attend to. I'm leaving for Boston in the morning."

"Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"That would be good if I was flying."

"Right. Well, if you come back, don't pop into my bedroom."

"Aw, you take all the fun out of it."

I woke to the phone. I answered it without checking the number.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie Plum! You had better marry Joe Morelli, or I'm going to personally come over there and kick your ass!"

"Mom! You're hysterical. Calm down!"

"I will not calm down. Joseph has been the one constant in your life over the last four years. He's good looking and loyal. He makes a decent paycheck, and he loves you Stephanie."

"Okay, Mom! He's here with me."

"He is?"

"He's sleeping. We haven't had a chance to talk yet. He came home drunk."

"Well don't you get on him. He's been under a lot of stress, too. You are not the easiest person to deal with."

"Okay, Mom. I get it. I'm a pain in the ass. I have to go." I hung up before she could answer.

I looked over at Joe. He looked so handsome even in his sleep. I ran my fingers through his hair. He rolled onto his side and exhaled. The smell of alcohol and bad breath hit my nostrils, and the nausea hit hard. I clapped my hand over my mouth and bolted off the bed. I barely made it to the toilet before the bile rose up the back of my throat, and I spewed into the bowl. I felt flush. I puked a second time and then shifted onto my hands and knees. I crawled to the sink where I reached up and used it for leverage as I hoisted myself to my feet.

I walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Joe was still dead asleep. I decided that rather than wake him, I'd just get up. I threw on a pair of sweats and marched into the kitchen. I opened the fridge, and it was a sad situation. The milk was bad. There was about a mouthful of orange juice left in the container. There was leftover pizza still in the original box that Diesel had left behind and two eggs. I checked the cabinet for coffee. There wasn't even enough to make a decent pot. That's what I get for neglecting my apartment.

My mind went to Rex. I hoped Diesel remembered to feed him.

"Ugh!" I said to myself. "I need to go shopping."

Diesel had the Porsche. I had no idea where Joe's SUV was. Besides, even if it was here, I'm pretty sure Joe wouldn't want me to go out alone. _Who to call? _In my mind, I had two choices—Ranger or Mattie. Mattie lived farther away, but Ranger was still a sore subject for Joe especially coming on the heels of our supposed breakup yesterday.

I dialed Mattie.

"Hello?"

"What are you doing?"

"I _was_ sleeping."

"Will you take me to the store?"

"You can't be serious."

"Joe came home blottoed last night. There's no food in my apartment, and I'm not even sure what's going on. Joe and I broke up yesterday."

"You broke up?"

"Well, we screamed at each other over my job, and I stormed out of the house after I made a comment that it was never going to work out between us."

"Where is he now?"

"In my bed."

"So, you made up?"

"No, he was too incoherent to talk."

"How did he get to your place?"

"His buddies brought him here. They said he didn't want to go back to his place."

"Give me a half hour."

"Thank you. I owe you."

"Puddin', I owe you my life."

He disconnected. I took a quick shower and was waiting when he knocked on the door. I had no money, so I went through Joe's wallet and took his credit card. I was surprised to walk out to the parking lot and find Joe's SUV parked there. "I wonder how long that's been out there? No one gave me the keys last night."

Mattie walked over to the SUV and tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened the door and checked behind the visor, under the seat, in the ashtray, and then found the keys in the glove compartment.

"I guess you don't need me now."

"Sure, I do. I don't want to take the chance that Kaiser is watching me."

"I see your point." He gestured for me to get in. "After you, my dear." Mattie drove the SUV to the Shop Rite. Inside the store, we got a lot of stares. Everyone knew I was engaged to Joe, and here I was with a strange man. No one really remembered Mattie. He had moved to the Burg his junior year. It was one of the reasons I dated him. He didn't really know about the whole bad boy Morelli taking my virginity behind the cannoli case until I told him. Mattie became my friend first and my lover later. After high school, he went away to college, and his parents moved.

When we got to the cashier, I swiped Joe's credit card. The cashier was someone I knew well. It was Debbie Rostowski, Dorothy's younger sister.

"Where's your fiancé?" Debbie asked. Debbie had graduated two years after me with Joe's brother, Anthony.

"He's still sleeping."

She eyeballed Mattie.

"This is Mateo DeNunzio. He went to school with us, remember? He took me to the prom."

You know that commercial that goes, 'prom gown—one hundred dollars, limo ride seventy five dollars, the look on Debbie's face when your prom date takes you grocery shopping sixteen years later—priceless'. I beamed at Mattie. Mattie mussed my hair and kissed my temple. "Come on, Puddin', you're chariot awaits."

I could just imagine the gossip this innocent act would cause. We laughed and joked about it all the way back to the apartment. We carried the groceries upstairs and into the kitchen.

"Well, sleeping beauty still isn't up. You want to stay for breakfast?"

"Sure, what are you making?"

"French toast."

"I'm in."

The first thing I did was make a pot of coffee. I had just dropped the first four pieces of French toast into the frying pan when Joe emerged from the bedroom looking a little rough. He was only wearing a pair of jeans, no shirt. I wasn't sure if he did it on purpose to show off his abs or if he was just too lazy to put his shirt on.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

He leaned with his forearm up against the frame of the entrance to the kitchen. "So, when did you trade in the Hulk for the prom date?"

"I needed a ride to the store. Mattie took me."

"What? The Hulk doesn't shop?"

"Diesel spent the night at your place. Somebody had to take care of Bob, and you were in no shape to go anywhere. I would have gone, but I didn't think you'd want me alone at the house."

I poured a cup of coffee, walked over to Joe, and handed it to him. He tried to kiss me, but I turned my cheek.

"What? You don't want to kiss me?"

"It's your breath. It made me sick this morning."

"Maybe I should just leave."

"Maybe you should stop acting like an ass and just go brush your teeth—and take a shower while you're at it!" I shot back.

Mattie stopped eating and stood up. "I should get going."

I turned sharply to Mattie. "No, sit down and eat. You drove all the way over here to take me shopping. The least I can do is make you breakfast." I turned back to Joe. "You know what? I'm trying here. The least you could do is be thankful I let you into my bed last night." I was on a roll. "And look! I bought fucking bread!"

Joe closed his eyes, and his expression went from extreme anger to the slightest hint of a smile. "I'm going to take a shower."

After he left, Mattie addressed me. "What's the deal with the bread?"

"It's a condition. He's supposed to buy the bread."

"You guys have a lot of conditions."

"It's a long story."

"I don't want to know. I just want to offer a tiny bit of advice from a guy's perspective."

"Okay, I'm open to hear a guy's perspective."

"Morelli is a cop. That's a position of authority. I was a teacher, which is also a position of authority. This is how our brain works. We let you think you are in charge, but in reality, we need to have our finger on the lives of those who are important to us. It's not because we are controlling. It's because we care, and if anything happened to our loved ones that we could have prevented, we would put the blame on ourselves. I couldn't control my anger when I hit my wife because I blamed myself that she cheated. I felt like if I was more of a man, she wouldn't have done it. I got so depressed over it, I tried to kill myself. Don't give Morelli a reason to go there."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Look at it this way. Soon, you'll be in complete control of a new life, and Morelli is going to feel like an outsider looking in. Now is not the time to alienate him. Enjoy every moment you have together because these times are so precious. You will never get them back."

"Mattie, thank you. I needed to hear that."

"No problem. Listen, I'm gonna get going." He got up and hugged me. He held me for a long time. I could only imagine he was thinking about all the good times he had with Joanna before it all came crashing down. "I'm glad you came along in my life when you did," I said softly.

"Jesus Christ!" Joe said from the entrance to the kitchen. "Is there anyone who doesn't want a piece of my girl?"

I glared at Joe.

"I'd take her in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, her heart belongs to you," Mattie said with a smile. He turned to me. "I'll see you tomorrow. Eight o'clock?"

"Nine," I answered emphatically.

"Eight thirty," he countered.

"Deal." I walked him to the door and hugged him again.

After he left, I returned to the kitchen where Joe was sitting at the table with his head resting in his folded arms on the table. I smacked him in the head.

"Ow!" he cried as he raised his hands to defend himself.

"You are so stupid! How could you be mean to Mattie when all he did was help. I could have called Ranger, you know."

"Are you saying that to hurt me?"

"Yes!—no!—I don't know. I don't want to fight, but you keep throwing out these digs. Do you even _want _to marry me?"

"Do you?"

"Joe, of course I do! Even when we fight like this…" I paused for a few beats. "I can't see me fighting with anyone else."

He got up from his chair and cornered me up against the counter. "I brushed my teeth."

I looked over at the pan on the stove. "The French toast is burning."

"I don't care."

"Joe!" I pushed him away gently. "Wait!"

He rolled his eyes and backed off. I quickly removed the remaining three pieces of French toast from the pan to a plate and turned off the stove. "Okay, now I'll kiss you," I announced.

He was leaning back against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. "Forget it. The mood is gone. I might as well eat my breakfast."

"Joe!" I groaned as I pulled his arms around my waist.

"My breakfast is getting cold," he said flatly.

"Fine! I said in disgust.

His lips twisted into an evil grin, and he held me tight, so I couldn't walk away. "I love you, Steph." He leaned in and kissed me. His breath smelled minty fresh. It was nice. His hands traveled to my ass, and he pulled me tight to the bulge in his pants. "We haven't had sex in days," he whispered.

"Two days," I replied.

"Like I said—days."

"What about breakfast?"

"I'll nuke it later."

"Don't you have a hangover or something?"

"Sex is good for what ails you."

"Am I good for you, Joe?"

"No. You will be the death of me, but at least I'll die happy."

I started to cry. I wanted to be good for him.

"Sweetheart, don't cry.

"I want to make you happy," I croaked.

"I know you do and most of the time you do." He took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. "If you made me happy all the time, you wouldn't be my Stephanie. One of the things I love about you is that you challenge me like no other woman ever has—or ever will." He kissed me gently and closed his lips over mine. I began to kiss him back, and the passion took over. He lightly bit my lower lip and then he went for my neck. That was it. I was mush in his capable hands. He backed up towards the bedroom and pulled me with him. What followed was a full on course in Morelli lovemaking. He caressed me in all the places that he knew made me crazy, and in the end, he had me up against the headboard from behind. His breath was on my neck as he shot his love into me. We both collapsed on the bed in each others arms and lay there staring at the ceiling.

"We need to get married," he finally said.

"We _are_ getting married," I reminded him.

"I mean now."

"What?"

"I think all this pressure of the wedding and Kaiser and Ranger and your job and insurance has got us all wound up like a top. If we were already married then we wouldn't be me and you. We would already be an 'us'."

"If we don't have a wedding, my mother will go berserk."

"No one has to know. We could go down to the courthouse tomorrow, fill out the paperwork, and have the justice marry us. Then we'll still have the wedding, but we will know that we are already committed."

"Don't we have to have witnesses?"

"Name two people who would keep their mouths shut about it."

"That's easy, Ranger and Tank."

"Name two other people."

"Um, there's Connie. She wouldn't tell."

"And?" He looked at me as if it was obvious.

"Mattie?"

"Mattie."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We're gonna get married anyway. This takes a ton of pressure off of the 'I do' part."

"Wait a minute. You want to do this because then you can make me quit my job because of the promise I made."

"While I would like nothing more than to have that happen, I'll keep my end of the bargain that you can wait until we stand up in front of your family and mine—under one condition."

"What condition is that?"

"You go nowhere without Mateo, and you stay the hell away from Kaiser."

I took a deep breath. "We're going to get married tomorrow?"

He sat up and pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah!" He lay back on top of me. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I'm feeling invitational today."

"Let's do it."

Joe dressed and ate his breakfast. We drove to the house to check on Bob. The bedroom was a mess just as Diesel had said. We had to use the vacuum to suck up all the feathers, and we had to empty it twice. We were on our way to Party City when I realized I didn't have anything to wear to the courthouse tomorrow.

"I have nothing to wear."

"What are talking about?"

"Tomorrow. I can't show up looking like a hoochie in a red dress or a black dress."

"We'll get you a pretty white dress, okay?"

It was a wonderful day. We didn't even come close to a fight the rest of the day. We went to look at invitations and both agreed on the one we wanted pretty quickly. The hard part was figuring out what we wanted to say in the card. We settled on the traditional:

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Plum and Mrs. Angela Morelli

Cordially invite you to join us for the union of

Joseph Anthony Morelli and Stephanie Michelle Plum

At St. Gregory's Church on Friday, November 25, 2010.

Reception to follow at The Grand Affair

I was shaking when we got to the counter to pay for our order of one hundred and twenty five invitations.

"Are you nervous, sweetheart?"

"Aren't you?"

"No. I've been waiting a long time for this. I knew I'd marry you. Why do you think I never dumped your ass?"

"Gee, you make it sound so appealing."

"Your ass _is_ appealing."

We went on to the mall where I found a nice dress in Macy's that reminded me of the dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in that famous picture everyone thinks of when they think of her. I came out to show Joe the dress.

"You know, I'm not supposed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding."

"If we are going to the courthouse together, then how would you not see me in the dress?"

"Good point."

"Besides you won't see me in the real wedding dress before the real wedding."

"Steph, this _is_ the real wedding."

I got a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. "I know," I smiled weakly.

"Which reminds me, we have one more stop while we're here."

"Shoes?"

"I wasn't thinking shoes, but now that you mention it, we can get shoes, too, if you want." He led me over to Zales.

"Wedding rings. I completely forgot!"

"I bought your engagement ring here. It came with a wedding ring, but I thought you might want to get one for me, unless of course you don't want me to wear a ring," he said with an impish grin.

"You better believe you're wearing a ring. You make sure Terry Gilman knows that you love your wife."

"Believe me, she knows."

"She might think that she can get at least one more roll in the hay before you get hitched."

"She already tried that. She got turned down."

"When?"

"Yesterday. She was at the bar. She bought me a few drinks, and she offered to take me home. She said I needed comforting."

"That bitch!"

"Steph, I turned her down. Ask Carl. He was there." Joe took my hand in his. "Are we going to buy me a wedding ring, or are we going to argue?"

"We are going to buy you a wedding ring," I said with conviction. We picked out a nice fourteen carat gold ring. It was a heavy band, and it had five small diamonds running along a diagonal. It was a beautiful but tasteful ring. We also decided to buy two gold chains. Since no one was supposed to know we were married yet, we figured we'd wear our rings around our necks under our clothes, and no one would be the wiser.

"I'm getting excited," Joe proclaimed.

We were in the middle of the mall. "Joe Morelli, I'm not doing it in a strange bathroom. You are just going to have to wait until tonight."

"I wasn't talking about sexual excitement, but now that you've made the commitment, I intend to hold you to it."

Our last stop at the mall was the shoe store. I found a cute pair of white heels that went perfect with the dress, and I figured I could wear them for the 'official' wedding in November. I started using the word 'official' because Joe made no bones about the fact that it wasn't the 'real' wedding.

Afterwards, we took a trip to see his brother, Anthony, so Joe could ask him if he'd like to be the best man. Angelina opened the door and invited us in. It was like entering my mother's house when Val and her brood were visiting. It was madness and mayhem. Two boys were in the living room with a Hot Wheels racetrack set up encompassing the entire room. It spanned over the top of the couch like a great mountain and then back down. The boys were arguing over something and were calling each other names I wasn't allowed to say when I was their age.

"Michael and Gino! Knock it off! Come say hello to your Uncle Joey."

The boys ran over to Joe.

"Hey Uncle Joey," Michael said. "You have any money?"

Angelina grabbed a fly swatter from the chair and slapped him in the ass with it. "Mind you manners!"

"Ow!" Michael cried out as he backed away.

Joe's niece, Marissa, strutted into the living room wearing a princess costume, and her face was covered with make up. She was five years old.

"Hi, Mommy! Don't I look beautiful?"

"Yes! You are a vision!"

She was a vision all right. She looked like Tammy Faye Baker on a good day.

"Uncle Joey!" she crooned as she ran to Joe. He caught her under the arms and picked her up. "Hi, sweetheart. Give me some sugar!" She kissed him on the cheek and left lipstick on his face. "Can I give you a little tip when it comes to make-up?"

"Sure!" she answered enthusiastically.

"Always remember, less is more."

I smiled in an effort not to laugh. He put her down, and she ran off yelling, "Less is more! Less is more!"

"Can I get you something to eat?" Angelina asked as I wiped the smudge from Joe's cheek with my thumb.

"I'll have a meatball sub!" Michael hollered.

"The only thing you'll get is this fly swatter across you ass!" Angelina barked.

Joe stifled a laugh and shook his head to compose himself. "We are expected at the Plum's for dinner. I wanted to speak to Anthony. Is he here?"

"He's upstairs in the man cave watching football. Go on up."

"Thanks."

We climbed the stairs and followed the sound of the TV into a bedroom. Anthony was perched on a futon with his back against the wall and a beer in his hand. His twelve year old son, who I learned was Tony Jr., was sitting next to him with a root beer in his hand. They looked just alike, and they were definitely Morelli's to the core.

"Hey, Joe! Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?"

"We just stopped by to ask a question."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I wanted to know if you'd be my best man."

"Wow! Serious? I'd be honored, bro!" He scooted to the edge of the futon and popped to his feet. He immediately embraced Joe. Then he embraced me. He had the smell of beer on his breath. The queasiness rose up from the pit of my stomach. I raised my hand to my lips. "Bathroom!" I cried.

Joe pointed. "Right across the hallway, babe."

"She gets nauseous," he explained as I bolted across the hall and slammed the door. I lifted the toilet seat, and it was gross. It was obvious that four boys lived here, and it seemed none of them had very good aim. I opted for the sink. I heaved my breakfast into the sink. _God, I hate throwing up._

I turned on the sink to wash it down. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, and I was sweating. I splashed cold water on my face and used a washcloth to wipe down the sink. There was a light knock on the door.

"Steph, are you okay?"

I opened the door. "Yeah."

"You look tired. I should get you home."

"No, we have to go to Mary Lou's first. Then, we need to go to my parents' house, so my mother can see that we are still together."

He creased his eyebrows. "Why would she think we're not together?"

"You called her yesterday," I reminded him.

"Oh—shit. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I was upset. I needed to talk to someone. I wasn't about to call _my _mother."

"Thank God! All I need is your grandmother giving me the evil eye."

We said our good-byes, and Joe pulled four five dollar bills from his wallet and gave one to each of the kids. They each thanked him, and Marissa handed hers back to Joe. "Less is more!" she said sweetly. Joe kissed her on the top of the head. "A little girl should always make sure she has a little money, just in case."

"Okay."

He was smiling from ear to ear. I got the feeling that Joe really wanted a little girl to spoil.

As we got in the car I said, "I hope this baby is a girl."

"It doesn't matter—as long as she's healthy."

"You said 'she'! You want a little girl too!"

He leaned over the seat and gave a sweet kiss on the lips. "I'd like to have one of each."

We continued our journey to Mary Lou's house. Her husband, Lenny, was in the driveway working on his car.

"Hey, Joe—Stephanie."

"Lenny. How's it goin'?"

"Same old."

" Steph needs to talk to Mary Lou."

"She's inside cooking."

We knocked, and Mary Lou answered. "Stephanie! I'm so glad you stopped by. I heard about the engagement. I'm so happy for you!"

We entered the house, and it was spotless. The kids were sitting quietly in the living room watching a movie. The baby was on the floor with a coloring book and crayons. She was drawing very pretty lines on the pictures. It was a total reverse of the Morelli household.

"Let me see your ring!"

I held out my hand, and she admired the ring. I had to admit I was pretty proud to wear his ring. "It's gorge!"

"I know!" I was beaming.

Joe put his hand in his pockets and turned his attention towards the movie in the living room. They were watching Pirates of the Caribbean. I knew if I gave Joe a few minutes, he'd be in there watching the movie, too.

"I came over because you have been my best friend since high school, and I wanted to know if you would be one of my bride's maids."

"Are you kidding? I would love that!"

"Well before you get too excited, let me warn you. You'll be walking down the aisle with Joe's cousin, Mooch."

"Aww, Mooch is cute. I don't mind walking with him."

"When is the last time you saw Mooch?"

"A couple years. He couldn't have changed that much."

"I suppose." I never thought of Mooch as ugly, but I never thought of him as cute either.

"Well, my sister, Val, is the Matron of Honor. I would have asked you, but she would have been mortified. She's practically arranging this whole thing."

"I'm just happy that you want to include me."

"Of course I do!" We hugged each other, and I spotted Joe heading for the empty spot on the couch. "How much more is there to that movie?"

"About a half hour."

Mary Lou and I sat in the kitchen and talked while Joe became absorbed by the roguish Johnny Depp. When the movie ended, Joe strolled into the kitchen. "The kids are about to put in the next movie. Now, if you want to stay, I can watch the next movie with them," he offered.

"No, we have to go to my Mom's. It's almost six o'clock."

"You want to barge in on them at dinnertime?"

"Oh hell, yeah! I threw up everything I ate. I'm hungry."

"What if she didn't make enough for guests?"

I made a face. "When has my mother ever not cooked enough for unexpected guests?"

"Okay, point taken."

I turned to Mary Lou. "I'll call you later in the week and let you know what's going on."

More hugging. At least her breath didn't smell like alcohol. We reached my mother's a few minutes before six. I opened the front door, and I smelled ham.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Stephanie?" My mother and Grandma Mazur both appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "Joseph! So glad to see you!" my mother gushed.

"Thanks, I guess I'm invisible," I growled.

My mother ignored me and went straight to Joe. "I know she can be impossible, but you take it from me, if you ignore her, she always comes around."

"She hates me!" I lamented.

Grandma took me by the arm. "She's just a little insane today. She ironed the sheets."

"Are you kidding me?"

Grandma laughed. "I was afraid if I stopped moving, she'd iron me!"

We entered the kitchen, and my mother was offering Joe a beer.

"No—thanks, Mom. Stephanie gets sick at the smell of alcohol."

"We did a lot of stuff today, Mom," I said in an effort to get her to talk to me.

"You hung up on me! Twice!"

"You were yelling at me!"

"Hey!" Joe interrupted us. "It's all good! Me and Steph are happy again. We just need to get past tomorrow. We have a lot to do."

"Like what?" my mother asked.

"Well, for starters, I have to call the banquet hall and make sure we have our reservations in place. Steph has to go to the apartment manager and put in her notice." He walked over to me and nuzzled into my neck. "And I promised her we would do something special."

The way he implied it with the nuzzling, it seemed he was talking about sex, not a trip down matrimony lane.

My father entered the kitchen and took his seat. He nodded to Joe, and Joe, in turn, took his seat. We began to eat, and inevitably, my grandmother just had to start a conversation that would lead to me balling my fists in frustration.

"You know why your mother was ironing sheets today? Mrs. Rostowski called and said that Debbie saw you at the supermarket this morning with your lover, and that it wasn't Joe. She said you two were pretty cozy. I thought you stopped hanging around Ranger."

"It wasn't Ranger, Grandma. It was Mateo."

"So, are you sleeping with Mateo now?"

I could see Joe adjusting the fork in his hand. I thought for a moment he might stab her. My father would probably give him a round of applause.

"No, Grandma. Mattie came over to take me shopping because Joe was still asleep, and I had no car."

"You couldn't take Joe's car?"

_Here we go. Twenty questions._

"Joe was out late with his buddies. They drove him home because they didn't want him driving. I left the car I was driving at Joe's. I didn't want to wake him up, and Mattie was already up. Anything else you want to know?"

"Nope. That about covers it," she said, as a matter of fact.

Joe reached down and squeezed my thigh. He leaned over to me and whispered, "I'm proud of you."

After much discussion about the wedding, we finally said our good night and headed back to the house. I was exhausted. We let Bob out and fed him. Rex didn't need feeding. It turns out that Diesel, not having any clue about hamsters, fed Rex almost a half a head of lettuce. Rex ate his way in and fell asleep inside the leaves.

We climbed into the bed, and I snuggled into Joe's chest.

"I don't want to sound pushy, but this is your last chance to make love as a single woman."

"Just let me catch a little nap," I said as I closed my eyes and drifted off.


	14. Chapter 14

Book sales are starting to pick up. I'm excited. Thank you to each of you who have supported me!

BLACK AND BLUE

I slept like a rock. The alarm went off and Joe pulled me into his arms. "Today's the big day."

"I know."

"You won't let me down, will you?"

"What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty. Too late for you to make up for last night."

"I'm sorry. I was really tired."

"You need to get up. You promised your prom date you'd be at the office by eight-thirty."

"I wish you would stop calling him that."

Joe rolled off of the bed and onto his feet. "I'm gonna take Bob for a walk. Coffee would be real nice."

I knew by his tone that he was disappointed about last night. I felt bad. I schlepped into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. I was in the shower when he returned.

He called from the bedroom. "I'm back." He poked his head into the shower. "Thanks for making the coffee."

"You want to join me?" I offered.

"Steph, if I get in there, you know what will happen."

I bit my lower lip. "I'm sorta counting on it."

"You'll be late."

"I'll just tell him the truth—that my fiancé wouldn't let me out of the shower!"

Needless to say, I was very late. I walked into the office and even Lula was present and accounted for. She marched toward me in a pink and white stripe pair of spandex with a fuchsia knit top. She looked like a faded candy cane.

"Hey, girlfriend!" Lula trilled. "I brought you some breakfast!"

"Thanks, Lula."

Mattie was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. He was holding it up in front of his face, and he didn't bother to greet me. Connie took the opportunity to say "good morning" as well and then mouthed the words "he's pissed" as she pointed in his direction.

I walked around the back of the couch and began to knead Mattie's shoulders. "I'm sorry," I said, sincerely.

"You didn't even make it by nine."

"I know. I have no excuse—well, I do, but you might not think it was a valid excuse."

"Unless you were playing hide the salami with Injun Joe, no, I wouldn't think it was a valid excuse."

I stopped kneading his shoulders as soon as he said it. He turned to look at me, and the obvious guilt was all over my face.

"You had sex this morning?" He looked a little shocked.

I smiled meekly. "Twice."

"Well, shit!"

"You go girl!" Lula chimed in. "Get yourself some of that fine Italian cop ass!"

I walked over to Connie who had the sense to keep her mouth shut. "Did we get any new FTA's?" I asked in an effort to change the subject.

"You sure you want to marry Morelli?" Mattie asked.

I thought about this morning's events. I sighed. "I'm sure."

"Lucky bastard." He stood up. "I want to pick up Michael Priest. He's our armed robber from last week."

"I don't know. He might be dangerous."

"Come on. I checked out his place over the weekend. He seemed pretty benign. Besides I've got a plan."

_Oh, boy._

He took my hand and led me from the office to his SUV. Connie handed me two more files before I made it to the door. "Here, check these out—and call me!"

"I will!"

Once we were in the car, I started to prattle on about the day's plans that I couldn't talk about in front of Lula.

"The reason Joe and I had sex was because he wanted to 'do it' one more time before we got hitched."

"But you did it twice."

"What can I say? We were in the moment."

"You know, I can't remember the last time my wife and I had sex in the same night—and daytime sex? There's no such thing."

"Well, you're single now—sort of. Maybe when you start dating and you know—maybe you could do it twice in a night."

"Do you think Connie likes me?"

"Gee, nice segue there." I smiled at him. "I got that impression. Do you like her?"

"I do, but…"

"But what?"

"I'm still trying to get back with my wife. I don't want to lead Connie on if things work out with Joanna."

"Well, maybe you can play it be ear. Did you bring a change of clothes for this afternoon?"

"Yep, they're in the back. So, are you excited?"

"I'm nervous."

"Why? You've been with this guy for four years, right?"

"Almost five. It's just that I've been married before. I don't want to make the same mistake twice. I mean, Dickie was so great when I was in college. At least I thought so, and then as soon as I said "I do", he was fucking anything in a skirt."

"You know, the old Morelli may have been a player, but the guy you're marrying seems too pre-occupied with you to cheat."

"I guess you're right."

"I have to admit his idea of getting married before the actual ceremony to take the edge off is really genius."

"I need to call Connie and make sure she knows when we are meeting."

"What time are we meeting?"

"Two o'clock. Joe said he was using the excuse that he has an emergency dental appointment."

I called Connie and then took the opportunity to open the first file on the new FTA's. The file was on a drunk and disorderly charge. He was thrown out of a bar, and he reciprocated by throwing a loose brick from the steps of the establishment through the front window. His name was Robert Heck and he was forty seven years old. His picture showed him as a slender guy with graying hair and beady eyes. His only priors were for drunk driving. He currently had no license and no car registered in his name.

"This guy sounds pretty easy. Drunks are usually cooperative."

"Yeah, I was thinking we could pick him up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I'll be on my honeymoon!" I joked.

"Very funny."

"I might be late," I said, smugly.

"You know you're killing me."

Before I had the chance to look at the other FTA, we pulled up to an old dilapidated duplex. It had been neglected for a long time. The right side appeared to be vacant. The lawn was overgrown and the windows were painted, so no one could see in. The other side wasn't in much better shape. The paint was dull and the shades were drawn. There were several rolled up advertisements lying on the porch.

"Okay, here's my plan. You ring the doorbell. I'll hide at the corner of the house. You give him your spiel, and when he says no and closes the door, I'll nab him when he comes out the back."

"We tried this before. It didn't work, remember?"

"Do you really think he's going to have a brother?"

"I don't discount anything anymore."

"You have what you need just in case?"

I searched through my pocketbook. "I have cuffs and a stun gun. That's it."

"That's all you need, babe."

He called me 'babe', and it made me think of Ranger. I hadn't seen him in a few days. I wished one of guys were here with us now. I still didn't have a good feeling about this. I tucked the cuffs into my waistband and I shoved the stun gun into my back pocket.

I took a deep breath. The strange thing was I had taken Joe's plea to heart. I was definitely feeling my mortality. I walked slowly up the decrepit steps and rang the doorbell. I didn't hear anything. "Damn stupid doorbell." I knocked instead. It took a minute, but the door finally opened revealing a stocky man with long, dark, unruly hair and day old stubble. He was wearing in a long sleeve shirt and nothing else, and to my dismay, he was sporting wood.

He looked up at the ceiling. "There is a god." Before I could utter a word, he grabbed my forearms and yanked me into the house. He shut the door quickly while still holding tight to me. I tried to reach for the stun gun, but he snatched at my elbow and kept me from reaching behind my back.

"Look what dropped in? It's a sign I tell you! It's like when that whore, Mary Magdalene, did Jesus's bidding."

I creased my eyebrows hard. I was a good catholic girl, and I wasn't about to listen to him trash Mary Magdalene. "Excuse me?" I was beginning to think that Michael Priest was taking his name a little too literally.

Another man appeared in the room. He was taller than Michael and he looked to me like what a junkyard dog would look like if he was a human. I half expected his teeth to be rotting out of his face, but they weren't. He was long in the tooth, and I feared he might tear the flesh from my body with his incisors. Michael shoved me backwards towards the other man. I lost my footing, and the other man caught me before I hit the floor. Michael turned to lock the top lock on the door. As the lock clicked, I heard Mattie on the other side pounding on the door. "Police!" he yelled. "Unlock this door or it's coming down!"

The other man pulled my stun gun from my pocket. "Hey! Check this out!" He tossed my weapon to Michael.

Michael caught it and examined it. He looked at me. "Are you a cop?"

"No," I answered honestly.

At that moment Mattie kicked the door open and rushed into the room. Michael was behind him, and he pressed the stun gun to the back of Mattie's neck, and Mattie hit the floor.

"Hmmm." Michael said as he stared at Mattie sprawled out on the nasty carpet. "That was definitely breaking and entering. I'd say this was self defense, right, Jesus?" He was staring at the ceiling again. He looked back at me. "Now you can satisfy me, and the lord will be happy since he sent you to me."

"The lord didn't send me to you. Vincent Plum Bail Bonds sent me to you. You missed your court date," I said, defiantly.

"I missed my court date because the lord told me not to go."

"I'll have to arrest you if you don't cooperate."

They both started to laugh. Michael tossed the stun gun on the sofa. "Now see what you did?" He was looking down at his now defunct erection. "I have to get him hard all over again. Maybe _you_ can do it for me." He approached me and grabbed my wrist.

"NO!" I screamed, and I slammed my foot backwards with all of my might. I connected with his roommate's kneecap and the force sent him staggering back as he cried out in obvious pain. I caught my balance and used the momentum of my foot coming forward to kick Michael solidly between the legs. He groaned and fell over. By now, the guy behind me had regained the use of his leg.

"You bitch!" He lunged forward and knocked me on my ass. He was on top of me, and I was fighting him with every ounce of strength I had in me. He growled and punched me in the thigh.

I cried out in pain. He grabbed me by the hair and held it to the floor. I couldn't move. He ran his fingers though his unkempt mane and pulled it off his face.

"First, I'm going to fuck you, and then I'm going to kill you. And when the cops come, I'll tell them it was self defense because you two sickos broke into my house." He straddled me and held my arms down with his knees. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. He ripped open my shirt. "Nice." He fondled my breast through my bra, and he began to open his pants with his other hand.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Suddenly, his eyes went blank, and he fell on top of me. I started to freak. "GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF!" A moment later his limp body was pulled away from me, and Mattie pulled my quivering body into his arms.

"Are you okay?" He said quietly into my ear.

"No!" I cried. I wrapped my arms around him and wouldn't let go for a long minute. Finally, I pulled back to look at him. "He tazed you! You should still be out." I replied.

"I think it's almost out of juice. I need to cuff them both before they wake up. Do you still have your cuffs?"

"Yes. I think they bruised my tailbone when he was sitting on me."

"Hang in there, sweetheart. We got him."

I reached for my cuffs and slapped them on my unconscious would be rapist. "What are we going to do with this guy?"

"Leave him."

"What if no one shows up to release him?"

Mattie shrugged his shoulders. "I guess he'll die."

"Mattie!" I groaned.

"Give'm a day and then send one of Ranger's goons to release him."

I couldn't quash my smile. I liked the idea of that bastard lying in his own feces for a day. I turned my attention toward Michael. "What about him? He's not wearing any pants."

"Go to the bedroom and find a pair of pants, and I'll put them on him."

Michael woke just as Mattie finished getting the pants on him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he muttered in his groggy state.

"Taking you to find Jesus," I said, smugly.

Mattie pulled Michael to his feet.

"What about Gary?" he said, as he looked over at his partner lying face down on the floor.

"Gary looks pretty comfortable to me. Maybe if you get bonded out, you can be Gary's savior." I was on a roll with this Jesus thing.

Michael was staring at me. I tried to pull my shirt closed, but the buttons were ripped off, and the zipper on my jacket was destroyed. Mattie took off his jacket and held it out to me.

Mattie walked Michael to the door and slammed his head into the door jam. "Oops." Mattie climbed into the back of the SUV with Michael.

Once we got to the station, I went looking for Joe, but they said he was out on a case. Some guy was found in a dumpster behind the Walmart on Trenton Street. _Crap!_ This was the kind of case that could tie him up for hours on end. I dialed his phone.

"Hey, sweetheart." _He called me sweetheart on the job._ _This can't good_. I thought to myself.

"I heard you were on a case."

"Yeah, Dude looks to be homeless. Not sure if he crawled in and died or if someone tossed him in after they killed him."

"What about the courthouse?"

He was silent for a few beats. "I'll do everything I can to get there on time. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay." The sound of disappointment was evident in my voice.

"I _will_ get there. I promise." He disconnected.

I walked back to Mattie. "Joe might be late."

"For his own wedding?"

"Shhh! No one's supposed to know."

"Right. Well, we can get some lunch and turn in our body receipt. That way we can check on Connie."

"Okay, sounds good."

We got back to the office, and Lula was manning the desk. "It's about time you two got back. I'm starving. There's nothing to eat in this place!"

"Where's Connie?"

"She had to go down and bond out some chick who thought it might be fun to stab her old man in the arm for reaching for her cheesecake. I personally don't blame her. I'd stab him, too." Lula got up and grabbed her coat off the back of the chair. "You two stay here. I'm going to Cluck in a Bucket."

"Hey! We're hungry too!" Mattie replied.

"Give me some green, and I'll get some for you guys, too."

Mattie and I looked at each other. "We don't have any money, just a body receipt," I replied for both of us.

"That's okay. I'll just take twenty dollars out of petty cash. You can pay it back to Vinnie." Lula was out the door and Mattie and I were alone.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Sore. My leg hurts—and my arms. And my head where he pulled my hair."

"I'm sorry. You were right. He was dangerous."

I waved the body receipt in the air. "At least we have some money."

"We could go check out the guy who lives on Stark Street. He's the drunk and disorderly."

"I don't know. It's almost noon. By the time Lula gets back, it'll be time for us to go back to Joe's place. I need to get my dress and shoes. We'll change at my apartment. I feel groddy. I want to change and do my hair."

"Why don't we just get ready at Joe's place?"

"Because it will be too many of us trying to use the shower. Besides, my good makeup and my hairdryer are at the apartment."

Connie returned before Lula. She cut us each a check for Michael Priest. After Lula returned, we ate lunch and talked about the wedding. I figured this was a good opportunity to ask the girls to be bridesmaids.

"Hey, Lula, Connie. I need to ask you something."

"What do you need?" Lula asked.

"You know I'm getting married the day after Thanksgiving."

"Uh huh."

"You're both going to come, right?"

"Are you kidding? This is like the wedding of the decade. This ranks right up there with burning down the funeral home. Wild horses couldn't keep me from being there." She took a quick breath. "Are you inviting Ranger?"

"I don't think I should. That might be cruel."

"Why? You don't think he'd want to share in your happiness?"

"I don't know. Anyway, you got me off topic. I wanted to know if you and Connie would be bridesmaids."

"Hell, yeah! Do I get to help pick out the gown? 'Cause we could do a pretty pink with sequins…"

"Whoa! Lula! No pink and no sequins! I'm thinking of doing fall colors."

"Pumpkin! I love orange!"

"I am not wearing orange!" Connie snapped.

"No orange! I like burgundy or maybe chocolate brown."

"I can't wear chocolate brown. It blends with my skin. I'll look like I'm naked."

The thought of a naked Lula marching down the aisle was a scary prospect.

"Burgundy is nice," Connie said in a sweet tone.

"Guys! We haven't even looked yet."

"We should go _now_. Mattie can hold down the fort," Lula said enthusiastically.

Mattie interrupted the conversation. "Listen, I'm here to work, not play receptionist." Connie made a face at him. "No offense, Connie. I'm sure what you do is vital to the office, but I would be sitting there literally twiddling my thumbs. The only thing I know how to do at your desk is answer the phone. I need to make some money. Stephanie and I need to check out the other two FTA's."

Connie spoke before Lula had a chance to offer her opinion. "I have an appointment this afternoon. I'm leaving in twenty minutes. Lula, you'll just have to handle things until Vinnie gets back."

"Where the hell is Vinnie anyway?" Lula demanded.

"He's couch shopping with the wife. She wants a new couch."

"You know Vinnie may be a real dick, but he does kiss her ass," Mattie announced. No one commented because everyone including Mattie knew why Vinnie kissed her ass.

Mattie and I headed off to Joe's to pick up my dress and shoes. Back at the apartment, I jumped into the shower and was shocked to find that I had huge bruises on both of my arms where Gary had pinned me with his knees. _Shit! Joe is gonna freak! _My thigh was bruised, too. To look it me, it would seem obvious that I had been beaten up.

Mattie was in the living room watching TV. I entered the room wearing only a towel. "Look!" I said sullenly.

Mattie settled back and draped his arms over the back of the couch. He flashed his dimples. "I'm lookin'! Are you gonna take off that towel?" he asked.

"No! Look at my arms!"

"Oh. Did that dude do that to you?"

"Yes. Joe is going to throw a fit when he sees the bruises. My dress is sleeveless."

"I hope the dress isn't too short."

"It's not, but look at my leg!"

"Again, I'm lookin'."

I started to cry.

"Come on, now. He's still going to marry you. As for the bruises, I'll take the blame. It was my fault. From now on, I'll be the front man. You can be the backup man."

"But what am I supposed to do about the bruises?"

"Do you have a shawl?"

"_Yes!_ Oh Mattie, you're a genius!"

"Great. This genius definitely needs to take a shower now. By the way, thanks for the visual."

"Shut—up."

"Do me a favor and put on some clothes or at least a frumpy bathrobe."

"Sorry." I hadn't realized that my state of undress would have this effect on him. I thought of Mattie only as a friend. "You didn't say anything when my shirt was torn open."

"I didn't think it was appropriate. It doesn't mean I wasn't thinking it."

I could feel the heat rise up into my face. Mattie rose off the couch and smiled as he passed me on the way to the bathroom. I blow dried my hair while he showered. I managed to put on my robe before he reappeared dressed in his suit.

"Wow! You look great!" And he did. His body was definitely on a close par with the likes of Morelli and Ranger.

"Thanks. It feels good to put on a suit again."

"Did you wear a suit to school when you taught?"

"Most days, not the jacket though."

I finished making myself bride worthy and put on my dress. I looked in the mirror and as pretty as I felt in my Marilyn Monroe dress, I couldn't help but stare at the bruises on my arms. I tried putting a little make up on my arms, but it didn't really help much. It would take pancake batter to cover these black and blues. I picked up the shawl off the bed. I draped it over my shoulders and wrapped it around my upper arms. _There. Much better, _I thought to myself.

I walked out into the living room, and Mattie let out a whistle. "You look gorgeous. If that man of yours decides he doesn't want you, I'll be happy to take his place."

"Thanks, Mattie."

We arrived at the courthouse a few minutes before two o'clock. I called Joe as we entered the parking lot.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"We're here. Where are you?"

"I just got out of the shower. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Okay. I'm waiting. Drive safe."

I disconnected. "He said he'll be here in a half hour."

"I suppose we can wait in the car."

"No. I'm too nervous. I need to walk. Besides, Connie will be waiting."

We walked up to the courthouse steps, and Connie was there. I began to pace in front of the building while Mattie and Connie talked. Suddenly, my eyes fell upon the last person I thought I'd see—Ranger.

He wasn't wearing his usual Ranger black—well, he was, but it was a suit. The tie was black with gray diagonal pinstripes and he was wearing a white dress shirt under his tailored suit jacket. I didn't even know he owned a white shirt. He almost looked like he was here to get…_Oh no! He wouldn't! How could he have known?_ I felt nauseas at the thought that he would ask me to marry him right here…right now. He spotted me as he descended the steps. He looked very serious, and that scared me even more.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here on business. I could ask you the same thing, but considering it's after Labor Day, and you are all decked out in white, I'm forced to draw only one conclusion. I must admit; I'm rather surprised. I thought you'd go for the big affair." He paused a few beats. "No pun intended." He grinned.

"It's a long story."

I could see Mattie and Connie watching me intently.

"Would you care to take a little walk?"

I knew it would be at least twenty minutes before Joe would arrive. I pursed my lips together. "Um—sure."

We strolled down the sidewalk that wrapped around the building.

"So tell me. Why the Courthouse? The whole town already knows about the baby."

"We are going to have the big flashy wedding. It's going to be the day after Thanksgiving."

Ranger flashed his pearly whites. "Hmmm, Black Friday. Again, no pun intended."

"Did you really have business today?"

"Why would you think I'd be here?"

I looked into his eyes.

"Babe."

"You're wearing a white shirt," I exclained.

"Stephanie, let me say this. I'm glad you are marrying Morelli. The feelings I have for you scare me. You are the kind of girl that can cause me to lose my edge, and that's dangerous for me. I'm going to miss you—very much." He placed his hand on my face. My eyes started to well up.

"Don't cry. I'm not going anywhere. If you need me for anything—and I mean anything—you know my number." He pulled me into a tight embrace. "I love you, babe."

It would have been so easy to say it back to him, but it would have been wrong. I bit my tongue. I pulled away from him and wrapped my shawl around my shoulders.

"So you still haven't explained the quickie wedding."

"It's just been so stressful. There's so much to planning the wedding and then there's the Kaiser thing. He created another visual. Joe went nuts. We've been arguing over everything including my job. Yesterday, he suggested that we get married and hopefully the stress of everything else will melt away." The shawl slipped from my shoulders to my elbows revealing the black and blues on my biceps. Ranger's eyes immediately went to the bruises. He caressed my right arm with his fingertips.

"Please tell me that Morelli did not do this."

"He didn't. He hasn't even seen them yet. He gonna go ballistic. It's just one more thing add to his arsenal to push me to quit my job."

"So what happened?"

"Me and Mattie went to pick up an FTA who seemed to think I was his own personal Mary Magdalene. His roommate pinned me down with his knees."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Ranger, I was doing my job. I can't call you every time I go to pick up a criminal."

"Call me Carlos, please—and I'm beginning to see why Morelli is so upset."

"Well, he can be upset all he wants. In another hour, I'll be his wife," I said with conviction.

Ranger trailed his fingers across my jaw. I felt the heat of his touch rush through my body.

"So, this is my last chance to poach."

"Carlos," I said in a weak effort to object.

I like when you say my name. He leaned in and pressed his lips gently to mine. He pulled back just enough to whisper, "Morelli's a lucky man." Ranger wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight to his chest. His lips were on me before I could object. I would've objected—maybe. Who was I kidding? His lips were like fire—and his tongue! It was so erotic the way he circled the tip of my tongue with his. I let out a sigh. By the time he pulled way, we were both heated.

"I have to get married," I whispered.

"Yes, you do," he answered. "Let's get you back."

He offered me his arm. I took it and we strolled around to the front of the building. Joe was standing with Mattie and Connie, and he wasn't smiling. He approached us.

"Did you kiss him?" he demanded.

Ranger answered for me. "More like I kissed her."

"God dammit, Stephanie!"

My reaction was to cry.

"Is this how it's gonna be, huh?"

"No." Ranger said sternly. I give you my word that as long as the two of you are happily married, I will not approach her as anything more than a friend."

Joe was irate. "Why should I believe you? Why should I believe her?"

"She did not solicit anything on her part. She was merely trying to explain why you were rushing into this wedding today."

"I thought she wanted this."

I finally found my voice. "I do!"

"Come on. Are you willing to give up a lifetime of happiness over one kiss?" Ranger reasoned.

Joe looked at him. "Why are you even here? Did she call you?"

"I had business. This was a chance meeting."

I summoned all of my courage. "Joseph, I'm going inside. I hope you'll join me." I turned to Ranger. "Carlos, I intend to invite you and Tank and Cal to the big event in  
>November. I hope you'll be able to attend." I realized that it would probably be painful for Ranger to watch the nuptials, but I figured it might be the best kind of closure for both of us if he did. "Oh, and this wedding today is a secret. We don't want people to know. I hope you will respect that."<p>

Ranger nodded to me. I marched into the courthouse with Mattie and Connie on my heels. We followed the signs to the license office on the second floor. There was a bench located in the hallway outside the office. I took a seat. Connie sat next to me, and I noticed she was carrying a pretty bouquet of flowers.

"Where did you get the flowers?" I asked.

"Morelli brought them for you."

She handed me the bouquet. It was a beautiful arrangement of petite red carnations and petite white roses. I had never seen such a stunning and yet simple bouquet.

"They're beautiful!" I croaked as the emotions of the last few minutes overtook me yet again.

"Yes, they are," Connie reiterated.

The minutes passed and there was no sign of Joe. I began to feel a little queasy. I tried to convince myself that he was just having a conversation with Ranger about me. After ten minutes, it was clear that Joe wasn't going to show. He was probably on his way to a bar to get piss drunk. Mattie spoke, "What do you want to do?"

What did I want to do? I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to jump off a bridge.


	15. Chapter 15

**Good things are happening. My daughter got engaged, and we have finally found a precious kitten to fill the void left in our hearts. He weighs 2.2 pounds and his name is Ozzie.**

TAKING THE PLUNGE

Some people say you made your bed, now lie in it. Well, I made my bed and I shared it with Joe Morelli. Dammit! I wasn't about to give up without a fight. I stood up.

"Wait here," I instructed them.

I left the building and found Joe sitting on the front steps staring off into the distance.

"Joe?"

He didn't answer. I stepped in front of him. "Aren't you going to come inside?"

"I'm too angry right now."

"Please, Joe, the office closes at three thirty. We only have an hour—and I still need to get my divorce papers from the records office."

I hadn't realized it, but the shawl I had worn specifically to conceal the bruises had slipped down to my elbows yet again.

"What the hell is that on your arms?" I pulled the shawl up around my shoulders. "Stephanie, who hurt you?"

"I had a little trouble with an FTA."

"God Dammit! This is what I'm talking about. How am I supposed to marry you when you blatantly lie to me?"

"I didn't lie! I just thought that getting here to you was more important than upsetting you about some stupid bruises!"

"Right. You were in such a hurry to become Mrs. Morelli that you took the time to meet up with your lover, so you could make out with him and assure him that nothing is going to change."

"Is that what you think? I had no idea he was going to be here." At this point I was spitting mad. "You know what? Keep your old ring! Maybe you can give it to Terry Gilman!" I wrenched the ring off of my finger and threw it at him. I turned in my three inch heels and marched down the sidewalk. I didn't know where I was going because I didn't have a car. The tears erupted and ran down my cheeks. I didn't even make it to the parking lot before Joe caught up to me. He stepped in front of me and blocked my forward momentum.

"Stephanie, stop."

"No!" I cried as I tried to get around him.

"You didn't even try to apologize," he lamented.

"I'm sorry! I never asked him to kiss me!"

"But you didn't stop him either," he surmised.

"No, I didn't, but if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn't have stopped you either."

He closed his eyes and sighed. Then he opened them again. He spoke slowly and deliberately. "Maybe I'm being selfish, but I don't want him to be the last person to kiss you before you say 'I do' to me." Joe placed both hands on my face and kissed me, right there in public, in the middle of the sidewalk. It wasn't a tender kiss. This kiss was hard. I invited him into my mouth, and the urgency of his tongue spoke volumes.

Now, the difference between Joe's kiss and Ranger's kiss was simple. When Ranger kissed me, it was usually in a public place, and it led nowhere, although it always left me wishing it had. Joe's kiss was usually a prelude to sex. Joe wasn't fond of public displays of affection. This kiss meant he loved me. I absolutely loved him. When he finally pulled away, I clung to his neck.

"I'm sorry, Joe. I love you," I said, sincerely.

Joe held up his hand. My engagement ring was perched on the end of his pointer finger. "Do you want your ring back?"

"Yes, please."

He gently pulled my hand from his neck. He kissed my ring finger and placed the ring back where it belonged.

"Let's get married." He held out his elbow for me. As we turned, we saw Connie and Mattie standing on the top step of the courthouse.

"Are you coming or not?" Connie hollered.

"We're coming!" I called back.

As we approached the top step, Connie took my hand. "Girl, we need to visit the Ladies' room. You're a hot mess!"

"Am I?"

Connie rolled her eyes and dragged me into the bathroom on the first floor.

"Is everything all right between you and Morelli?" she asked, as she rifled through her purse for make-up.

"Well he still wants to marry me. That's a good thing, right?"

Connie began to apply foundation to my face. "What the hell were you thinking walking off with Ranger like that?"

"I was thinking I owed him an explanation."

"You don't owe Ranger anything. He's not your boyfriend."

"Did you know that just before I found out I was pregnant, he asked me to break it off with Joe?"

"You're shittin' me!"

"I'm not."

"So are you saying that you are with Morelli because of the baby?"

"No! I knew I'd never walk away from Joe. When we almost got married a few years ago, I wasn't ready. I think I'm ready now."

"You _think _you're ready?"

"No. I _am_ ready."

"You're ready to be Suzy homemaker?"

"Suzy homemaker? No, but I'm ready to be Mrs. Morelli. I'll try to be more domesticated, but Joe knows I won't be anything like his mother or even my mother."

"You know sex doesn't cure everything," Connie remarked.

"Neither does money, but everyone wants it."

Connie flicked the mascara brush over my lashes. "There. Much better."

I looked in the mirror. Connie did a great job. You would never have known that ten minutes ago, I was a wet, soppy, mess. Connie scooped the flowers off the counter and handed them to me.

"Let's plow!"

I took a deep breath and stepped from the bathroom. Joe had his hands in his pockets, and he was pacing the floor like an expectant father. He turned and gazed at me. His lips turned up into a brilliant smile.

"You look beautiful."

We took the elevator to the second floor to the hall of records. We obtained a copy of my divorce papers and moved quickly to the licensing office. We stepped inside and were summoned to the desk.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked.

"We need a marriage license and someone to marry us, please," Joe said eagerly.

"You need to fill out this paperwork. I need your driver's license, birth certificates, and thirty dollars cash."

"Cash?" Joe repeated. "You don't take a debit card?"

"No, sir. Cash only. Read the signs."

There were signs posted on every wall indicating that marriages licenses were a cash only transaction. Joe turned to me. "I've got ten bucks on me."

"I didn't even bring my purse," I replied.

We looked over at Mattie and Connie sitting on the bench. Mattie reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I have three dollars and the check Connie gave to me."

"Oh, Jesus!" Connie declared. "How much do you need?"

"Twenty?" I answered.

"Connie opened her purse and pulled a crisp twenty dollar bill from her wallet. "I hope you remembered to bring your birth certificates."

"Joe has them." I looked at Joe. "Right?"

"Yes, I've got them."

Twenty minutes later, the paperwork was complete and the license fee paid—in cash. We sat patiently on the bench waiting for a judge to arrive, so he could marry us.

"Judge Hammond is finishing up traffic court in a few minutes. He will perform the ceremony in courtroom 'A' when the courtroom has empty," the clerk informed us. We sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes before the clerk finally summoned us. "The judge will see you now. Go to the first floor and turn right when you exit the elevator. Follow the signs to Courtroom A."

In the elevator, my nerves kicked in. My heart started to pound out of my chest, and my palms began to sweat. I had done this marriage thing before, and it ended badly. As much as I tried to push these fears out of my head, the truth was they were there.

Joe took my hand in his. "Are you okay?"

"Uh huh." That was about as much as I could get my voice to utter. Connie and Mattie were behind us as we walked down the hall. I thought I heard Connie say, "She's gonna crack."

Mattie came to my support and said, "She'll be fine."

As we entered the chambers, the judge was sitting at the great desk at the head of the room looking over some papers. He looked up to acknowledge us as we entered.

"Officer Morelli? Is that you?"

"Yes, your honor."

"I never would have figured you for a civil ceremony. Usually I get the very young who are defying their parents' advice or those who are with child."

Joe smiled sheepishly. "Although my bride is due to give birth in seven months, it is not the reason for the civil ceremony. You see, we have a wedding planned for the end of November, but the stress of it has been getting to the both of us. We thought if we married now, the planned nuptials would be more like a celebration."

"As it should be. Do you intend to repeat your vows at that time?"

"Yes. We hope to write our vows for that ceremony."

_We do?_

The judge stood up and stepped down from the desk. "Do you have the license?"

"Right here." Joe handed it to the judge. The judge looked it over. "You know this isn't valid for seventy-two hours, so if either of you change your mind…"

Joe cut him off. "Yes, sir. We are aware."

The judge turned his attention to me. "You are Stephanie…" he read the license, "Plum. Is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor."

"I have to say, I never thought that I would see the day when Officer Morelli would settle down."

I was nervous and his remark didn't make me feel any better. I tried to remain strong as I answered. "What can I say? I guess I'm special."

Joe again added his own thoughts. "Your honor, Stephanie and I have been a couple on and off for the last four years. We did not make this decision in haste. I can assure you of that."

"Good. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Do you have wedding rings you wish to exchange?"

Joe reached into his breast pocket and produced the rings. "Stephanie's is an insert," Joe explained.

"May I have your engagement ring?" the judge requested.

I removed my ring and handed it to the judge.

"Will the witnesses please step forward and state your names?"

Connie stepped forward. "Constance Rosolli."

"Thank you, Miss Rosolli."

Connie stepped back and Mattie stepped forward. "Mateo DeNunzio."

"Thank you."

Mattie stepped back. The judge took a deep breath and began.

"We are gathered together here in the presence of these witnesses to join this man and this woman in matrimony, which is an honorable estate, and is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and discreetly. If anyone can show just cause why this man and this woman may not lawfully be joined together, let them speak now or hereafter remain silent."

The silence was eerie. I almost expected Ranger to enter the courtroom and object. I held my breath and exhaled only after the judge continued.

"Joseph and Stephanie, I require and charge you both that if either of you know any reason why you may not lawfully be joined together in matrimony, you do now confess. If any persons are joined together otherwise than as prescribed by law, their marriage is not lawful."

Joe reached for my hand and pulled it securely into his.

"Joseph Anthony Morelli, will you take this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together in the estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor and keep her; in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Joe replied as he squeezed my hand.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, will you take this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor and keep him; in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, so long as you both shall live?"

I took a deep breath. _Don't chicken out Stephanie. _"I will."

"Will you please face each other? Joseph, take Stephanie by the hand and repeat after me. I, Joseph, take thee Stephanie, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part."

Joe repeated the words with strength and conviction. I had it in my head that I would do the same, but when I opened my mouth I was barely audible. The judge addressed me.

"Stephanie, repeat after me. I, Stephanie, take thee Joseph, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part."

Joe smiled at me. The judge continued. "Connie, would you please take the bouquet?"

Connie stepped forward, and I reluctantly handed her my bouquet. I felt like I was giving her my protective shield. The judge handed Joe my ring. "Take Stephanie's left hand in yours, and as you place the ring on her finger, recite the following: Please accept this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion."

My hand was shaking. Joe repeated the words the judge had given him and carefully placed the ring on my finger. It slid into place easily. _I'm married,_ I thought to myself. A rush of emotion swept through me. I was giddy and scared all at the same time.

"Stephanie," the judge uttered, pulling me from my trance. "If you will place this ring on Joseph's finger and speak the same words."

I almost laughed when I took Joe's hand in mine as he, too, was shaking. For me, it was relief. The tension had been broken. The fear left me, and I was left with only the giddiness. I slid the ring onto his finger which did not go on as smoothly as mine. I had my voice again and I spoke with confidence. "Please accept this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion."

"Join hands please." The judge instructed. We took each others hands, and it felt good. "For as much as Joseph and Stephanie have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands."

He paused for a few beats as he acknowledged each of us.

"Now by the authority vested in me by the State of New Jersey and the city of Trenton, I pronounce you to be husband and wife and extend to you my best wishes for a successful and happy married life together. Joseph, you may kiss your bride."

_Finally! _It was the moment I had been waiting for. Joe pulled me into his arms. "I love you Mrs. Morelli." The seconds it took for his lips to reach mine were like an eternity. It was my first kiss from my new husband, and he did not disappoint. I think it probably lasted about ten seconds longer than it should have. Unfortunately, my shawl once again slipped to my elbows revealing the bruises. The judge commented immediately.

"Excuse me, may I ask how you got those bruises?"

Joe was quick to reply. "She's a bounty hunter."

The judge's eyes lit up. "Really? A bond enforcement agent married to a cop?"

"I'm quitting soon to start a new career," I replied.

"A career in what?"

"A housewife and mother," I said proudly.

Joe flashed a brilliant smile.

"I wish both of you a long and happy marriage."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. I turned to Connie and Mattie. "I'm married!" I trilled.

"Thank you, Jesus!" Connie declared as she drew me into a hug.

Mattie and Joe shook hands. "Congratulations! You've got a great girl there." Mattie turned to me and engulfed me in his arms. "So, you're a missus. I have a question."

"What?"

"What are you going to do about your apartment?"

"She was supposed to put in her notice today," Joe reminded me.

"I'm sorry. I forgot."

Joe sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Can I sublet?" Mattie asked.

"You want my apartment?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you wanted to get back with Joanna."

"I do, but right now there's a lot of animosity between us. I'm sleeping on the couch. I think if I moved out and wasn't there to do all the guy things in the house, she might realize how much she misses me. If I rent out an apartment, I'll have to sign a lease. This way, I can sublet till your lease is up, and if we don't get back together, I can either get a place or maybe I can take over the lease on your apartment."

I looked at Joe. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm pretty damned impressed that you asked my opinion."

"Joseph, I respect your opinion."

His lips twisted into a smile. "I think it's a great idea. You need to put in a two month notice, right?"

"I do, but my lease runs out in four months. How long do you think you will be there? I mean, should I put in the two month notice or not?"

"Put in the notice. I'll know after a month whether or not things are getting better or going south."

"Okay, sounds like a done deal," Connie surmised.

"It's been a good day for a Monday," the judge declared. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I, too, have a wife and she's expecting me to come home for dinner." Joe shook the judge's hand, and he disappeared through a back door.

"How would you both like to join us for dinner?" Joe asked.

"Lead the way, newlyweds."

As we headed back into the hall, Joe smiled from ear to ear. "I like the sound of that. Where should we go?"

"Somewhere outside of the Burg. Maybe we should go across the river."

"What about the Gabrielle's on Levittown?" Connie asked.

Joe again looked to me. "Sweetheart?"

"Any restaurant where they serve cake is perfect for me!"

We took two cars. Mattie said he'd follow Connie home, so she could drop off her car and they'd meet us. As soon as we got in the car, Joe planted one on me. It was a long and drawn out kiss. Then he pulled my dress down on one side exposing my breast.

"Joe!" I cried. After all, we were in the public parking lot of the courthouse.

"What? I'm just admiring my breast," he said as he slid his thumb back and forth over the nipple.

"You're silly."

"I'm fucking giddy! I still can't believe it."

"I guess you own me, now," I said coyly.

"Cupcake, no one will ever own you. I'm yours, though. You've got me hook, line, and sinker."

"Husband?"

He smiled. "Yes, wife?"

"I'm starving."

"Right." He kissed my nipple, tucked my breast back into my dress, and then kissed my lips.

Dinner went about as perfectly as one could hope for. We were two couples celebrating love. Mattie flirted with Connie, and it was cute to see Connie being all girly. Joe was extremely attentive and even kissed me several times through dinner. The best part for me was that I knew I'd be desert, and the way he nibbled at my lips, I knew that desert would be spectacular.

I admired my ring on the way home. The insert that Joe bought was encrusted with diamonds, and it really made the diamond in the center pop.

"This ring is so beautiful!" I gushed.

"I'm glad you like it, but you are going to have to take it off for awhile."

"No! I love it!"

"Cupcake, that's why we bought the chains; remember?"

"I know, but can't I wear it 'til morning?"

Joe pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine.

"Of course, you can."

I got to the bottom of the steps, and Joe scooped me up into his arms. "Whoa!"

"I need to carry my bride across the threshold."

"Right! And Bob is going to knock us down the steps."

"True." He put me down. "I'll let him out. Don't you dare step foot into the house. You got that?"

I saluted him. "Yes, sir!" He kissed me quickly and rushed up the steps to open the front door. Bob came bounding from the living room toward the door. He took the stairs in one leap. As soon as Bob cleared the steps, Joe, once again, swept me off my feet.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Morelli."

"I like the sound of that."

He climbed the stairs and stepped through the doorway. "You know, I'm going to keep you up all night."

"I thought it was my job to keep _you_ up all night," I joked.

"You keep talking like that and you really won't get any sleep."

I let out a little growl. Joe put me down and went to retrieved Bob. I sauntered into the kitchen to see how Rex was doing. He had found his way out of the lettuce and was running on the wheel. "Well, Rex, I finally did it. It looks like this is your home now." His cage definitely needed cleaning. The bad thing was I was wearing white. Not exactly the best color to wear when cleaning a hamster cage. _Tomorrow. I'll definitely clean it tomorrow, _I thought to myself. I could hear Joe cursing at Bob.

"God dammit! Got your ass in here, Bob!"

I approached Joe. "You're doing it wrong."

"What are you talking about? He's _my_ dog!"

"Our dog," I corrected him. "Come on, Bob! Mmmmm! I've got food for you! Mmmm!"

Bob stepped out of Mrs. Rupp's bushes and hightailed it toward the house with his tail wagging. I gave Joe a smug look as Bob entered the house.

I gave him praise. "That's a good boy!"

Joe shut the front door and locked it. "Come here, you!"

"Now that's not going to get my attention," I joked.

"Okay, how about this? Come on, cupcake! Mmmmm. I've got something for you!"

I burst out laughing. Joe grabbed me and began kissing my cleavage. His phone began to ring. Joe ignored the phone and moved his lips to my neck.

"Joe, your phone is ringing."

"I'm on my honeymoon," he replied between kisses.

"They don't know that."

The phone stopped ringing. "See? They hung up." He moved to my lips and kissed me hard. The phone began to ring again. Joe stopped kissing me. "God damn it!" He answered the phone abruptly. "Yeah?" … "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" … "I had plans tonight." … "Yeah." … "I know." … "Give me a half hour." He hung up.

"You have to go," I said. It wasn't a question, but rather a realization.

"Yes, they found another homeless guy in a dumpster."

"Wow. Serial killer?"

"I sure as hell hope not. Come on. We need to change."

"Why do I need to change?"

"You don't think I'm going to leave you here all alone, do you?"

"Bob's with me."

"Bob? He's not exactly an attack dog. What's he going to do—lick Kaiser to death?"

"You could call Ranger."

"I think I've seen enough of Ranger today. I'm taking you to your mother's."

"What reason am I supposed to give as to why I'm spending the night?"

"Why don't you try the truth? I have to work, and some psycho has been threatening you."

"But it's our wedding night, Joe! I don't _want_ to sleep without you."

"Listen, it's only six thirty. I'll come to your mother's when I get through."

"What if it's three in the morning?"

"I'll call you, and you can let me in."

"I hate this," I lamented.

"I know. I do, too." He brushed the hair from my face and caressed my cheek. "Tell you what. When you get to your mom's, why don't you start researching where you'd like to go on our honeymoon?"

"We're taking a honeymoon?"

"Oh, hell yeah. Make sure we are at least a thousand miles away."

"Where do _you _want to go?" I asked.

"Anywhere, as long as I'm with you."

"Hawaii?"

"Perfect." He leaned in and kissed me. That was the wrong thing to do. He gave me the prelude to sex kiss.

"Joe, you have to go."

He unzipped my dress, and it cascaded to the floor like a pure white chiffon waterfall.

"We have time for a quickie." He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Are you sure?"

"The guy's dead. He's not going anywhere."

Joe climbed the stairs with me wrapped around him. When he got to the bed, he laid me on my back. He slid my panties to my thighs and continued until he pulled them from my ankles. He buried his face between my legs. Joe knew better than anyone the quickest way to get me to climax. His tongue drove me crazy. I was squirming with delight. It took him only ten minutes to get me to that place where time stood still, and my mind exploded in ecstasy. He rose to his knees and unbuttoned his shirt.

"Are you ready for me, Mrs. Morelli?"

"Bring it, Mr. Morelli."

He rose to his feet. I watched him intently as he unbuckled his belt and removed his pants. He looked like a stallion when he slipped off his boxers. He was ready and so was I. He crawled onto the bed and lifted my legs to his shoulders. He stared at my face as he slowly and rhythmically let his cock pleasure me.

"I love you Joseph Anthony Morelli."

As the minutes passed, Joe caressed my breasts and kissed my lips until he came to a turning point. His breathing was labored, and I knew he was almost there. The intensity increased, and finally he cried out. His body spasmed as he released his love into me. He collapsed. When he lifted himself off of me, there were tears in his eyes.

"Joe, are you okay?"

"I'm just happy." He lay next to me and wiped the tears that escaped.

I flipped so I was now hovering over him and I began to kiss him again. My emotions surfaced. I didn't want him to leave. He stopped me from kissing him. "Steph, I can't."

"You can't?"

"I mean I can, but I shouldn't. I'm already late."

I rolled off of him and pouted.

"You know, you're adorable when you pout, but if you don't put some clothes on, I'll drag you to your mother's house naked," he said, as he pulled on his jeans.

"At least I'll still be wearing my beautiful ring."

"Which reminds me…" He opened the drawer in the nightstand and pulled out the two silver chains. He removed his wedding ring from his finger and placed it on the chain. The chain was long enough for him to slide it over his head. "Give me your ring," he demanded.

"No!" I said emphatically.

"Okay." He picked up his phone and began to punch in a number.

"Who are you calling?"

"Your mother. I'll tell her the truth; that we got married today, and she doesn't have to worry about the wedding."

If my mother knew the truth, she would kill me. "Give me that phone!" He was sitting on the bed. I lunged at him and snatched the phone from his hand. I ended up lying across his lap butt naked.

He caressed my ass. "Oh, yeah!"

"Joe, I thought you had to go to work?"

"Thanks for reminding me. I was trying to forget."

I rolled to my feet and yanked the ring off my finger. "Here."

"I only need the insert. You can wear the engagement ring," he said as he handed it back to me. He threaded the chain through the insert. "Lift your hair."

I turned my back to him and lifted my hair. He fastened the necklace and then wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Why didn't we do this a year ago?"

"Because I wasn't ready. Now, it feels right." I turned in his arms, and he kissed me again. It was another lingering, romantic kiss that would no doubt lead to another round of sex. "We are never going to get out of here," I whispered.

Joe's phone began to ring. "Fuck!" He answered it. "Hello." … "I'm coming. I need to drop my wife at her mother's." … "Yeah." … "Twenty minutes, tops." He tossed the phone on the bed.

"You said wife."

"What?"

"You said you needed to drop your wife at her mother's."

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did." I couldn't contain the smile on my face.

"Shit!" He looked at my stupid grin. "What are you smiling at?"

"I like it," I said, still beaming.

He cracked a smile. "I like it, too. Now get some clothes on. We've got sixty seconds to get out the door."

"I can drive myself to my parents."

"Oh, no. I'm going to follow you. I want to make sure you're safe."

Joe finished dressing. He clipped his shield and his gun to his hip.

"Are you still going to let me go to Ranger's for target practice tomorrow morning?"

"You're asking my permission?" He sounded surprised.

"Sort of."

"So, even if I said 'no', you'd go anyway."

"I'm hoping you won't say 'no'."

He made a face. "Mattie's going too, right?"

"Right. Joe, I'm not going to do anything with Ranger."

"You mean Carlos."

"Joe, I married you."

"I just wonder if you take the vows as seriously as I do."

"My first husband cheated on me, and it devastated me. I would never do that to you."

"Go to your target practice."

"Thank you."

Joe followed me and Bob to my parents' house. I parked the Porsche in the driveway and walked over to Joe, who was parked at the curb. He stepped out of his vehicle to kiss me good-bye.

"I love you. I'll see you later."

"I love you, too."

He stood at the curb and watched me enter the house before he pulled away.


	16. Chapter 16

**I'M NOT SURE WHO Chad's Goddess is, but if you are out there in FanFic land, thank you for the wonderful review on amazon.**

**As for the rest of you FanFic lovers,**

**Happy Thanksgiving!**

FAMILY NIGHT

I opened the door and called out, "Mom? Dad? Grandma? It's Stephanie."

My mother poked her head out of the kitchen as Bob trotted into the house. "Stephanie? What are you doing here?"

"Can't I visit my family?"

"Please tell me that you and Joseph didn't break up."

"We're fine, Mom. He was called in on a case, and he didn't want me staying alone."

"Why doesn't he want you staying alone?"

"It appears I have a stalker."

My mother made the sign of the cross and looked heavenward.

"Where's Dad and Grandma?"

"Your father dropped Grandma off at the funeral parlor and headed for the lodge. She said she'd catch a ride home with a friend."

"How would you like to go check out wedding dresses with me?"

"Just you and me?" She sounded excited at the prospect.

"Just you and me, Mom."

"Did you eat dinner? I have leftovers."

"I ate. Joe and I went out. Come on. Let's go."

We took the Porsche. My mother was in awe when she slid into the posh leather seat.

"This is nice."

"It's Ranger's. It's a loaner."

My mother and I went to a bridal shop on the other side of town. As we were pulling into the parking lot, my phone rang. It was Joe.

"Hey!" I answered.

"Where are you?"

"I'm with my mother, why?"

"Well, you've answered my next question, but you still haven't told me where you are."

"Joseph, why are you asking? Are you keeping tabs on me?"

"No, but Ranger called me. He said his Porsche is on the far side of town. He said he wanted to know if he should put a man on you."

"I'm fine. I'm with my mom, and we're shopping for a wedding dress."

"Oh."

"What did you think I was doing?"

"I was praying that you weren't spying on Kaiser."

"No. I'm not spying on Kaiser. I've learned my lesson—maybe."

"Stephanie!"

"I love you! Bye!"

I hung up before he could start yelling and dialed Ranger.

"Yo."

"Still keeping tabs on me?"

"Just looking out for your safety. I guess Morelli called you."

"Yes, but that's not really why I called you."

"No?"

"Okay, it was, but I also wanted to remind you about target practice tomorrow."

"I haven't forgotten. I thought you might, though."

"Nope. I'll be there locked and loaded."

Ranger was silent. I could imagine the smile on his face.

"Carlos, I have to go. I'm shopping for a wedding dress for the big day with my mom."

"Be safe, babe."

My mother and I spent nearly two hours in the store. I tried on about thirty dresses searching for the dress that would flatter my figure and still hide my impending baby bump. My mother liked a strapless bustier dress that had a ton of intricate beading. I liked it, but I was afraid of what five more weeks of baby would do to the slim waistline. I fell in love with a dress that fell in soft chiffon below the bustline. It was an off the shoulder number which I particularly liked because it made me feel sexy.

We took pictures of the dresses we liked. I figured I'd ask Mattie for a guy's opinion. We headed for home and were surprised to find a strange car parked in front of the house. Dad wasn't home yet. I had to admit I was a little nervous that it might be Kaiser. We entered the house and it was quiet, except for Bob, who greeted us at the door. Then we heard a strange sound coming from upstairs. I stopped and cocked my head towards the sound.

"What the hell is that?"

All of a sudden, my mother's face went dead white. "We have to get out of here!"

She scared the crap out of me with her urgency. I was afraid someone had broken in. "What, Mom?"

"Don't ask questions. Go. Go. Go!"

"Okay, but tell me what it is," I demanded, as we fled the house.

"They're doing it," she whispered.

"Doing what?"

"It! You know!"

I stopped and stepped back into the living room. I listened to the sound again, and I recognized the squeaking of the springs in grandma's room. "Holy shit! I wonder who she's doing it with?"

"I don't want to know."

"Where are we going to go?"

"Let's go out for coffee."

I started the car. "The coffee shop at Barnes and Noble?"

"Anywhere!" My mother said in a panic.

The Barnes and Noble was already closed, so we went to the Silver Diner. The waitress poured the coffee, and we each ordered cake.

"Mom, what if Dad goes home?"

My mother did a sign of the cross.

"Mom, call Dad."

I handed her my phone. She punched in the numbers, and as soon as he answered, I could hear the screaming on the other end.

_Oh boy._

My mother was cool though. "Oh my! Really? What did you do?"

My father was still screaming on the other end. Finally there was a break in the yelling. "Stephanie is spending the night, so we went looking at wedding gowns, and now we're having coffee."

He grumbled something, and she disconnected. She placed the phone on the table and began to giggle.

"What happened?"

"He caught them." She giggled harder.

"And?"

"And the man told your father he wasn't done!" My mother broke out in full uncontrollable laughter. She was laughing so hard, she was crying. Her laugh was infectious. I started laughing, too.

The waitress brought our cake and asked if we were okay.

"He said "I'm not done!"" My mother shook her head and waved her hand at the waitress. I hadn't seen my mother laugh this hard since my father was at the beach and picked up dog shit in the surf thinking it was a piece of driftwood. After about ten minutes she managed to compose herself.

"I needed that," she exclaimed.

"I guess you did."

"He's never going to be able to look at the old biddy again and not think about her lying spread eagle with some old guy puttin' it to her!" My mother started to laugh again.

"Maybe you should get romantic with Dad tonight."

"Oh, no! He'd throw a fit!"

"Just tell him if grandma's getting' some, you want some, too! I plan to attack Joe when he gets in."

"He's staying over?"

"If he shows up after I go to bed, he's staying."

"Should I leave the door unlocked?"

"No. He's going to call me."

We arrived home, and my father was in his chair staring at the TV.

"Where's Grandma?"

"I kicked her out," he replied stoically.

"You what?" I cried.

"Are you out of your mind?" My mother berated him. "She's an old lady! You can't just throw her out!"

"If she wants to act like an irresponsible teenager, she can do it elsewhere."

"How was she irresponsible? At least she did it in her own bed! If Joe and I stay here, are you telling me we can't have sex in my bed?"

"This is my house! You have your own apartment."

"You're impossible!"

"Where do you think she went?" my mother asked.

"She said she was going to Stephanie's," he barked.

"Go get her!" my mother bellowed.

"The hell I will!"

"Stephanie, go get your grandmother," she ordered.

"You come with me," I implored.

"No. Your father and I need to have a talk."

"Mom, I promised Joe."

"Promised Joe nothing. It's your grandmother."

_Shit! What am I supposed to do? _I pulled out my phone.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm calling Ranger."

"Why?"

"_Mom!_ Just let me do this!"

Ranger picked up after two rings. "Yo."

"I need you."

"Babe."

"My mother wants me to find my grandmother. She thinks she's at my apartment."

"And?"

"I promised Joe I wouldn't take off on my own."

"I see."

"Carlos, will you help me?"

There was a long pause.

"I'll check it out."

"No. Pick me up."

"You want to risk being alone with me?"

"Nothing's going to happen," I said confidently.

"I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about the repercussions with Morelli."

"Just come get me."

"On my way."

He was right about Joe. I decided to call him. It rang a while before he answered.

"Hey, cupcake."

I talked really fast. "I'm in trouble and I needed to call Ranger. Nothing is going to happen. I don't want you to get mad."

"Whoa! What kind of trouble are you in?"

"My dad kicked Grandma out of the house. We think she went to my apartment. Mom wants me to get her. She and my dad are about to have a nasty fight, and I know you don't want me to go there alone. Mattie's all the way on the other side of town. I didn't know what else to do."

Joe was quiet on the other end.

"I swear nothing is going to happen."

"Why couldn't you call Connie or Lula?"

"I'm sorry. I was thinking protection."

"Go get your grandmother, and when she gets home, tie her to the bed."

"I think she may have already done that," I joked.

"What?"

"I'll explain later. I love you."

My parents were in the middle of a screamfest when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to Ranger. I shoved my way past him.

He followed me in silence. I climbed into his SUV. He angled his way into the driver's seat, and without a word, he pulled away from the curb. He drove five blocks before he broke the silence. "Want to talk about it?"

"My parents are having a huge fight because my grandmother got caught by my father."

"Caught?"

"She was having sex with some guy."

Ranger bit his upper lip in an effort to keep from smiling, but he was quickly losing that battle.

"It's not funny!" I shrieked.

He looked at me. "Babe."

"Okay, it's funny, but my father shit a brick when he caught them."

"Please tell me you are going to be just like your grandmother when you get old."

Ranger pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building. We took the elevator to my front door, but there was no sign of grandma.

"Maybe, she's inside," he suggested.

"How would she have gotten in?"

"You're questioning the capabilities of an old lady who managed to get caught doing the wild thing?"

I rolled my eyes. I unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment with Ranger close to my side. It was quiet. "She's not here." My cell phone rang. It was my mother. "Did she come home?" I asked, instead of saying hello.

"No, she said you weren't home, so she's staying with some man in your apartment building."

"I creased my eyebrows. "Who?"

"Mr. Wolesky?"

"Good lord. I'll get her."

Ranger stared at me as I hung up. "Come on," I grumbled. I crossed the hall and knocked on Mr. Wolesky's door. The door opened slightly, and Mr. Wolesky peered out.

"What do you want?" he asked. I could see he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I came to get my grandmother."

"Hold on."

He shut the door. Thirty seconds later, the door swung open, and grandma was standing in her slip. "I'm not going home," she said emphatically.

"Grandma, where are your clothes?"

"I lost them playing poker, but he'll be naked before I will."

Ranger was standing behind me, and he let out a roar of laughter. I elbowed him in his rock hard abdomen. He didn't flinch, but he reeled in his laughter.

"Grandma, I'm taking you home."

"I'm not going back there. I'll come to your apartment when I'm finished here." She leaned forward and whispered, "I might get lucky twice in one night. Wouldn't that be a coup!"

Ranger quickly backed away and walked down the hall. I could only imagine the smile he was unable to suppress.

"Grandma, I'm not staying at my apartment. I let Mattie sublet it. I'm staying with Joe."

"Fine, he's got a spare bedroom."

"It's not my place to offer you a room in his house."

"You're gonna marry him, right?"

At that moment Ranger cleared his throat. I shot him a look.

"Yes, Grandma, I'm going to marry him, but would you want to start off your marriage with your grandmother living in your house when you know you have precious few months before a baby will be part of your lives?"

"You're not married yet."

Ranger folded his arms over his chest.

"First of all, I'm sleeping at Mom's tonight because Joe is working, and he doesn't want me at the house alone."

"You won't be alone. I'll be with you," she reasoned.

Ranger couldn't hide his smile. I was ready to scream. I turned to Ranger. "Give me your gun. I'll just shoot her. She'll go to the safety of the hospital, and with luck I'll go to solitary confinement at the jail," I said in frustration.

Ranger spoke up. "Listen, Mrs. Mazur, the truth is…"

I cut him off before he could spill the beans. "Forget about the truth! You're going home and that's it!"

Ranger grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me away from the door. He spoke clearly and deliberately. "The truth is there is a very bad man who has been stalking your granddaughter. He hasn't done anything that we can arrest him for, but Morelli is worried for her safety as am I. Putting her in the house with you is not a safety measure we can live with. I have other obligations this evening, or I would be happy to offer my services. I need to be somewhere in one hour, so unless you are spending the night with Mr. Wolesky, I implore you to heed my wishes."

Grandma smiled at him and then looked at me as I stood behind Ranger pouting. Then she looked over her shoulder. Mr. Wolesky was sitting in an overstuffed chair, and he looked like he was about to nod off. "It would be nice to sleep in my own bed," she replied.

"Hurry, now. We'll wait for you here."

She shut the door, and Ranger turned to me. "You look tired."

"I hate when my parents fight over my grandmother."

I think he considered pulling me into his arms, but instead he stroked my head. "Your parents will be fine." He paused a few beats. "I meant to ask you; how does it feel being Mrs. Morelli?"

"I thought before when you said "truth be told" that you were going to tell my grandmother."

"Babe."

"So far, marriage feels lonely. No sooner did we get home and Joe had to leave."

"The dumpster murders?"

"Yeah."

"It could be worse."

"How so?"

"You could be married to me."

"I didn't know there was an offer on the table."

"There's not. Babe, I chose this lifestyle knowing I would never marry again. Falling in love with you was never in the plan."

"I'm sorry I'm such a distraction."

"I am, too."

Before I had a chance to say anything else, the door opened, and Grandma Mazur stepped into the hallway wearing her coat. I could only hope she was fully dressed underneath. Grandma sat up front and I sat in the backseat. When we reached my parents' house, Grandma got out and headed for the door. I hung back because there was something I wanted to ask.

"Carlos?"

"Yes, Babe."

"Do you really have someplace to be, or were you just saying that because you don't want to be around me?"

He turned in his seat to face me. His eyes were intense. "I would never lie to a sweet old lady, and I can honestly say that with the exception of you being covered in garbage, I have never _not _wanted to be around you."

"Oh." I felt like I stuck my foot in my mouth.

"Enjoy your first night as Mrs. Morelli."

"I'll see you in the morning?"

"Don't forget to bring your gun."

"Right."

I stepped out of the SUV and like Joe; Ranger didn't pull away until I stepped through the threshold of the house. Grandma was sitting on the couch still wearing her coat and looking very haggard.

"Come on, Grandma. Let's get you to bed." I walked towards the stairs and I heard it. The same squeaking mattress spring sound that I had head earlier. "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Guess I'm not the only one to get lucky tonight!" Grandma remarked.

_That's just great! I'm the newlywed and here I am all alone. _It was almost midnight when I climbed into my bed. I called Joe because I was aggravated and I missed him.

He answered quickly. "Steph, are you all right?"

"No! I miss you. When are you coming home?"

"Soon. I just have some paperwork to complete for the coroner, and then I'll be home." He chuckled. "It's nice to hear you say you miss me."

I started to cry. I don't know why exactly. I guess the emotions of the day mixed with my exhaustion wore me down. "It's not fair!" I cried. "You're supposed to be here with me!"

"Sweetheart, don't cry. One hour—I'll be home in one hour."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me," I said, as I pulled myself together.

"I miss you, too. I'll be home shortly."

I lay back on the bed and wiped the tears from my eyes. "I hate being pregnant." This would not be the last time I would say this.

I was at a club and I looked hot. The DJ was playing my favorite song. I was on the dance floor dancing by myself when Ranger approached me from across the room. He was wearing all black, but it wasn't his work fatigues. He was wearing black jeans and a black dress shirt open at the collar. He looked gorgeous. He stepped directly in front of me and got down on one knee. He held out a ring box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring, but the diamond was black. Ranger was speaking, but I couldn't hear him over the music. Suddenly, I looked up and I saw Joe. He was standing by the door witnessing Ranger on his knee. Joe had a ring box, too. He tucked the box into his pocket. I could see the sadness on his face. _"Joe!"_ I called out, but he couldn't hear me over the music either. _"Joe, don't go! I love you!" _That damn song!

I woke up to the song in my dream. I answered my phone. "Joe?"

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm just pulling into the driveway."

"I'll be right down!"

My heart started to pound as I grabbed my shoes and my socks and quickly slipped them on. My clothes were folded on the chair. I tossed them into the overnight bag I had brought with me. By the time I got to the door, I was struggling to put on my coat. I opened the door and before Joe could utter a sound, I threw my arms around his neck.

"What's with the coat?" he asked.

"I want to go home."

"What's wrong?"

"My father's a jerk, and I want to sleep in my own house and play by my own rules."

"O—kay." He carried my bag to the car while I locked up the house. Once we were in the car, Joe spoke. "So, why is your father a jerk?"

I proceeded to tell him of the night's events. "If my father says I can't make love to my husband because we are in his house, then I'd rather not stay there."

"Sweetheart, he doesn't know we are married."

"It doesn't matter. He's knows we're engaged."

"You know, one day we could be in the same position. We could have your mother living with us."

"At least she cooks and cleans."

"I'm sure your grandmother cooked and cleaned in her day. Your mom is fifty five. Twenty years from now. She'll be seventy five, and she may be just like your grandmother."

"I doubt it."

"We could have my mother living with us."

"Don't say that."

"So you'd be fine with your mother living with us, but not mine?"

"Your mother scares me."

"My mom is not as scary as you think."

"What I think is that she doesn't like me."

"Are you kidding? As soon as you have that baby you will be my mother's favorite daughter-in-law."

"What about Angelina? She has four kids."

"Those are Anthony's kids. You know I've always been the favorite ever since I turned my life around and entered the military. Besides, Anthony's boys are brats!"

"Because they're Morellis!"

"Are you calling me a brat?"

"Not anymore, but when you were a kid…"

"I wasn't a brat. A pervert, maybe—and wild, but not a brat."

"Yes, you were definitely a pervert, but you'll be paying for that for the next fifty years!"

"At least I chose the sexiest woman on the planet."

"Are you sucking up now?"

"Let's just say this is day number one of the next fifty years."

"I love you."

Joe reached over and laid his hand on my thigh. I reciprocated by placing my hand over his, we were only a block away from home when I realized that we didn't have Bob.

"Shoot! Joseph! We left Bob!"

"Crap! Should we go back and get him?"

"No, I go to Rangeman at nine for target practice. I'll stop by the house and get him afterwards. I'll need to return your SUV anyway."

"True."

Joe pulled into the driveway, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Joe opened the doo,r and I immediately headed up the stairs without giving Rex my usually greeting. I did take notice of him running on his wheel.

"I'll be up in a minute," Joe announced.

I threw my coat on the chair, kicked off my shoes, and climbed into bed. I set my alarm for seven thirty. I never heard Joe come up the stairs.

I was pulled from my sleep by the incessant beeping of the alarm. Joe was lying flat on his stomach with his arm slung over my body. I rolled over to face him and took a minute to reflect on the events of the last twenty four hours. I was a married lady. I had been married before, but honestly, I don't remember waking up with Dickie and feeling the emotions I felt with Joe. Joe rolled to his side and automatically reached for me. He draped his arm over my hip. His wedding ring was lying on the bed still attached to the chain he wore around his neck. I picked it up and examined it.

"You can't have it. A beautiful lady gave it to me." I jumped when he spoke because I thought he was asleep. "Did I scare you?"

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I should be, but I wanted to make sure I kissed my bride before she left me."

"That's sweet."

"You know what would be really sweet?" Joe unbuttoned the top button of my nightgown and slid his hand to my breast. I felt the heat of his touch, and it was difficult to keep my wits about me.

"Joe, I can't. I'll be late."

He pulled his hand away. "We wouldn't want you to be late for your date with Ranger," he said snidely.

"Joe, you know how he is. He runs a tight schedule. I reminded him of the appointment last night."

"Go. Shoot some paper targets."

"Fine, you want sex, go ahead, but don't worry about satisfying me."

"Cupcake, half the joy of making love to you is seeing you enjoy it."

"How can I enjoy it if I know that Mattie is probably at the office waiting for me, and Ranger is counting the minutes of his time that I am wasting?"

"They both know you got married yesterday."

"And they both know I'm getting married again in four weeks!"

He fell back on the bed exposing his semi-hard penis. "Fine, go."

"I'll make it up to you." I kissed his lips briefly.

I rolled off the bed and headed into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and jumped into the shower. I was in there only a few minutes when I felt a presence in the bathroom. "Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't you in bed?"

He poked his head into the shower. "Because you're not in there with me."

"Joe!"

He closed the shower door and brushed his teeth. At least I knew I'd get a decent kiss. I was drying myself with a towel as I left the bathroom. Joe was lying naked on the bed sporting wood. _"Joe!"_

"I can't help it if I get all horny when I see you naked and wet."

_Oh boy._ "You really want this?"

"Do I look like I want it?"

I dropped the towel on the floor. I climbed on the bed and straddled him. "Then it's my way, or no way."

He smiled. "You lead the way."

I leaned forward and kissed him. I could feel his hard-on up against my belly. Joe cupped my breast and pulled his lips from mine, so he could suck on it. I reached down, grabbed his cock, and guided it toward my pussy. I let the tip tease me until I knew I wanted him inside me. I grabbed his face and kissed him. I let my tongue caress his as I slowly slid my body down over the top of him. We both let out a moan at the same time. We stopped kissing, and I stared at him. We looked into each other's eyes, and at that moment, I felt a oneness with him. He reached for my hands and interlaced his fingers with mine. It was symbolic in every way. Everything was in sync—every movement of our bodies, even our breathing. What surprised me the most was what was supposed to be a quickie to satisfy him turned into the most meaningful display of our love for each other. He was deliberately holding back because he wanted me to be satisfied. I could see it in his eyes. He released my hand and began to rub my G-spot. It soon sent me to the place he was hoping for. When he realized I was nearing climax, he began to pump his ripening cock into me with power. I moaned as I tightened around him. He grabbed my hips and pulled me down, holding me tight to him as he released his juices into me. I loved hearing him cry out in ecstasy. In the end we were both panting. Joe's chest was soaking wet, but I couldn't be sure if it was from my dripping, wet hair or from his own sweat.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"I enjoyed every moment of it."

"I did, too. It was…"

I finished his sentence, "Special."

"Exactly."

I lifted myself off him. "Now I need another shower."

"You had better hurry. It's eight-thirty."

"Shoot! I don't have time for a shower!" I went to the bathroom, cleaned up, swiped on some mascara, and dressed quickly. Joe threw on a pair of boxers and walked me to the door.

"I love you. Have a good day." He pulled me to him by my shirt collar and kissed me passionately. I loved it when he did that. "Don't forget to bring Bob back."

"I won't. Now go back to sleep."

"Yeah, I can definitely do that."

I drove like a bat out of hell to my apartment. I called Mattie on the way and instructed him to meet me there, so we could take Joe's SUV to Rangeman. It was a quarter to nine, and I was ten minutes from my apartment, which in turn, was ten minutes from the Rangeman building. There was no way we were going to make it on time, but I was hoping to be no more than ten minutes late. After all, Ranger knew Joe would be home late, and that it was our first night together as husband and wife. He couldn't possibly be that much of a hardass, could he?

I pulled into the parking lot, slung my purse over my shoulder, and shot into the building. I figured I'd grab the gun out of the cookie jar and hope that Ranger had the bullets needed for the gun. I mean, Ranger was the one who gave me this gun in the first place. I stepped into the elevator with my keys in my hand. I didn't want to waste even a second. My mission was to get in and get out in less than sixty seconds. Then I could wait for Mattie in the parking lot. When the elevator door opened, I stepped out and my perfect world fell apart.


	17. Chapter 17

**I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. I was just thinking that my Thanksgiving kind of matched the title of this chapter. It was a rough Thanksgiving for me. I learned a valuable lesson. NEVER stand on line at Best Buy! It's not worth the MIGRAINE headache that takes you down the following day.**

**Anyway. My new kitten is a terror...er, I mean treasure! Yeah, that's it, TREASURE! He's so cute, it's hard to get mad at him everytime he climbs the Christmas tree.**

**Hope ya'll like the chapter!**

ROUGH MORNING

Richard Kaiser was squatting over a box in front of my door. He popped to his feet and I froze.

"Why, if it isn't Mrs. Morelli. I thought I was gonna have to wait to have my way with Joe Morelli's wife, but you're making it easy."

I turned to run back to the elevator, but he was on me before I could get the door to close. He dragged me out of the elevator.

"I'm not alone!" I said in a fierce voice.

"I don't believe you." He pulled me to the window at the end of the hall and peered out at the parking lot. "I don't see anyone down there waiting for you." He pushed me against the wall and pressed his face to my neck. "You smell like sex."

He snatched the key from my hand. "Privacy at last."

"It's not my apartment anymore. I sublet to someone. He could be here any minute."

"I think I'm willing to take that chance."

He grabbed my wrist and turned toward the door. I took the opportunity to reach into my bag, which was still slung over my shoulder, with my free hand. To my own amazement, I found that I still had my stun gun in my purse. He stuck the key into the lock, and I tagged him in the neck with the stun gun. I expected him to go down like a ton of bricks, but he didn't.

He turned quickly and grabbed the stun gun out of my hand. "Did you actually think you could stop me with this? Maybe I should try it on you. See how you like having electricity jolt through your body. He held the stun gun to my neck."

"Please, don't. I'm pregnant."

"That's right. You've got a little bun in the oven. I bet I could cook him with this little device."

"Please, I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt my baby." It was the first time in my mind that I really acknowledged that I really wanted this baby.

He pushed me back up against the wall and caressed my breast through my bra. My nipple was hard, and he began playing with it. "I think you're excited to have me in you. I promise you, I will not disappoint. I guarantee you I am better than both Ranger and Morelli." He licked my cleavage. I felt nauseas.

Suddenly, my cell phone started to ring.

"Ignore it," he ordered.

He looked into my eyes. It was difficult for me to see him because my eyes were filled with tears just waiting to spill over. The elevator bell rang signaling its arrival. The doors opened, and Mattie realized quickly what was going on and jumped out.

"Let her go." He pulled his gun from his waistband and pointed it at Kaiser.

Richard spun around, so I was in front of him. He pulled my shirt up exposing my belly with one hand, and he was wielding the stun gun with the other. "One shot from this, and her baby is toast. Do you want to be responsible for that?"

Mattie looked at me for a response. "No, Mattie. Put the gun down," I said in defeat.

Mattie just stood there frozen; the gun pointed at Kaiser. "I'm not going to be responsible for your death."

"I'm not going to kill her. She would be no good to me then. I want revenge. I once had the perfect girl. Then, Morelli arrested me and I did a year. My girl left me. I want him to know what it's like to hurt. I figure a week with me, and she'll forget all about Morelli."

"Mattie, please. Just do as he says."

"See? She wants me already."

My eyes locked on Mattie's. He slowly lowered the gun.

"Toss it on the ground along with your cell phone."

Mattie tossed the gun on the floor and followed it with his phone. Kaiser picked up the gun and pointed it towards Mattie. At that moment, Mr. Woleski's door opened a crack and then closed again.

"Move to the window," Kaiser instructed Mattie.

As Mattie moved toward the window, Kaiser moved me towards the elevator. He slid his arm around my neck and backed into the elevator. The doors shut, and I began to panic. "Where are we going?"

"To a little place I like to call home. I can't wait to see you naked. I get a hard-on just thinking about it." He slid his free hand with the stun gun in it between my legs. "Maybe I won't give you back to Morelli. Maybe, I'll keep you for myself."

The elevator opened, and he pulled me out into the hall and headed for the back door. That's when my nausea kicked into high gear. I could feel the bile rise up my throat. I tried to get away from him but I couldn't. Then he did the wrong thing—right for me but very wrong for him. He as I tried to wrench myself away, he grabbed me by the throat and pulled me toward him. That's when I puked—all over him. It left him stunned—and probably pretty grossed out. I turned and ran back into the building to the front door. I heard the sirens wailing. I was back outside just as the police were pulling up. I yanked on the door of the police car. The officer leaned over and opened it and I jumped in. It was Robin Russell.

"It was Kaiser. He was trying to kidnap me, but I threw up on him and I got away." Two more police cars arrived just as I saw Kaiser's car pull out of the parking lot. "There he goes!"

Robin stepped on the gas and began to follow him.

"Are you crazy! Let him go!"

"Why? Don't you want to press charges?"

"No! The last two women who pressed charges disappeared. Please just let him go!"

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure, besides, he's FTA. Vinnie wants his money."

"How do you expect to catch him if you're afraid of him?"

"I don't know. I think I might have to call in a really big favor."

Robin pulled back up to the apartment building. We entered the lobby and Mattie was explaining to a uniformed officer named Kwiatkowski the circumstances surrounding my abduction.

"Mattie, it's okay. I'm here."

"Mattie laid eyes on me and bolted toward me. He pulled me into his arms. "Thank God, you're safe," he replied. He sniffed at my neck. "What is that smell?"

"I threw up."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I threw up all over Kaiser."

For the first time, Mattie smiled. "You didn't."

"I did. He was pretty shocked. That's when I ran."

"So a Morelli saved you," he pointed out.

"In a manner of speaking."

My cell phone began to ring. It was Ranger.

"Hello?"

"Babe, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's okay. We can reschedule."

"No! I want to practice. Please."

"I have a meeting."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence.

"Look. It shouldn't take more than an hour and a half—tops. Can you get here at eleven?"

"Sure, absolutely."

"Who's with you now?"

"Um—the police and Mattie is here with me."

"Do me a favor and stay close to Mattie."

"Okay."

He disconnected.

"Where's Morelli?" Mattie asked.

"He's home asleep. He didn't get in till late."

"Are you gonna call him?"

"No. He needs his sleep. I'll tell him about it later." I needed to let him know that Kaiser's obsession with me wasn't just based on my FTA invasion of his life, but rather revenge he was seeking on Morelli.

"Let's go upstairs and get you cleaned up."

The box that was left by my door contained the top with a bride and groom that would be placed on top of a wedding cake. The two people were kissing. What was scary was the groom had a knife sticking out of his back. There were pictures of me outside the courthouse kissing Ranger inside the box as well. I looked at Mattie.

"I don't want Joe to see this—ever."

"Sure. I understand. I'll destroy it."

"Thanks."

I took a shower and changed into clean clothes. Mattie was sitting in the living room watching the news.

"There was another dumpster murder last night," Mattie announced as I entered the room.

"I know. Joe was called in. He didn't get home until late."

"He left you alone?"

"No, me and Bob went to my parents' house." I suddenly remembered Bob. "Shoot! I have to get pick up Bob. We left him with my parents."

"Okay, let's go get him."

"Where is that box that Kaiser left?"

"In the corner, why?"

"Because I want to pack up some of my clothes. After all, you're going to be staying here, right?"

"Right."

I packed as much as I could fit in the box. We left for my parents' house and arrived there a little after ten o'clock. I had less than an hour to get Bob, bring him home, and then get to Ranger's by eleven. _Why is my life always such a rush?_

My grandmother greeted me at the door.

"I didn't hear you get up this morning," Grandma said, as I walked in the door.

"That's because I didn't stay last night," I said, as I entered the kitchen. My mother was cleaning out the refrigerator.

"Why didn't you stay last night? Joseph must have come late because I didn't hear him."

"We didn't stay because I wanted to make love to my husband, and Dad says we can't do that in his house."

"Well, first of all, you and Joe aren't married yet, and your father is not the sole owner of this house. I have a say, too, and if you want to make love to Joseph in the privacy of your room, you just go right ahead."

"Thanks, Mom, but I'd like to hear that from my father."

"Your father isn't home. Are you here to take Bob?"

"Yes, where is he?"

"I had to put him out back while I clean out the fridge, or he'd eat everything."

"Right."

I retrieved Bob from the back yard. I drove the SUV, and Mattie drove the Porsche. When we arrived at the house, Joe was in the shower. I really needed a hug after my ordeal with Kaiser, but I had no time. I needed to get to Rangeman. Besides, Mattie was waiting for me in the car. I climbed the stairs.

"Joe?" I called out to him.

"Steph?" he called back.

I poked my head in the shower. "I brought Bob back."

"What the hell happened this morning?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Half of the department called me this morning. They said a 9-1-1 was called to your apartment building. They said the person who called said Stephanie Plum was being abducted. I was halfway out the door when I got a call saying it was a false alarm. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. I left a message for you to call me."

"I'm sorry." I proceeded to tell Joe of the morning's events as he stepped out of the shower. By the time I finished the story there were tears in my eyes. Joe pulled me into his strong arms and held me for a long minute.

"We could have arrested him if you would've pressed charges."

"Joe, he wants revenge."

"Revenge for what?"

"He said that you arrested him, and he lost the love of his life while he was in prison."

"I arrested him several years ago. Why would he wait until now to get revenge?"

"Maybe he was waiting to for you to show him who the love of your life was."

"Look, I'm going to talk to Ranger and ask him to keep a man on you. It's the only way to keep you safe. I should have gone with you this morning, but I thought you were going straight to the office. I didn't know you were going to stop at your apartment."

"I had to get my gun."

"How did _he _know you were going to the apartment?"

"I don't think he did. I sort of caught him leaving a gift behind."

"What kind of gift?"

"The topper to a wedding cake and some pictures of me and Ranger that I'm sure he was hoping to start trouble with."

"The kiss," Joe surmised.

"Yes. I got rid of the pictures."

Joe drew in a deep breath.

"Don't fold on me now. We had a wonderful morning."

"We sure did." He said, as he hooked his finger into the collar of my shirt.

Mattie leaned on the horn signaling me to get a move on. I looked at the clock. "Ranger rescheduled target practice to eleven. Mattie's outside waiting."

Joe pulled on his clothes and walked me out to the car. He pulled me to his chest and pressed his lips to mine. "Take care of yourself. I love you. I'll call you later."

Once again, we were running late. We pulled into the garage at Rangeman at eight minutes after eleven. By the time we entered the basement where the shooting range was located, it was ten after. Ranger was sitting with his legs propped up on the counter. "You're late," he said stoically.

"It's been a rough morning," I croaked as my emotions got the better of me yet again, and my eyes pooled with tears.

"Babe, you can't aim if you're crying."

"I know." I wiped the tears that had spilled onto my cheeks. "I hate disappointing you," I lamented.

"Did you at least remember to bring your gun?"

"It's right here," I said as I rifled through my purse.

Ranger took Mattie's gun from him and checked the chamber as I searched for mine. "Loaded. Good. You can start on target number three. Have you ever fired a gun before?"

"Yes, I used to own a gun back before I got married."

"Most women are not huge fans of guns." Ranger shot me a look and then turned his attention back to Mattie. "I'll bring a box of bullets as soon as I get the princess set up. Wear your headset." Mattie nodded his head and walked away. Ranger took my gun and inspected it. "You have no bullets."

"I was hoping you'd have some."

Ranger drew in a deep sigh. I could tell that he was perturbed which didn't help my delicate emotional state one little bit. He walked over to a wall of bins that contained a large variety of ammunition. Each bin was marked with the make and model of the gun the bullets belonged to. He pulled a box of bullets from a bin and delivered them to Mattie. They spoke briefly, and Ranger returned to me. He pulled another bin from the wall and grabbed a box of bullets. He slapped them on the counter. "Load it," he ordered.

I stepped forward, and my hand was visibly shaking as I loaded the gun.

"Stephanie, what's the matter?"

I broke down and started bawling. I felt like I was on this emotional roller coaster, and Kaiser was controlling the ride. I buried my face in Ranger's neck. He slowly pulled his arms around me. He whispered in my ear, "I promise he won't get to you."

"He already did. He touched me the same way that you used to touch me. I didn't like it. If I didn't throw up on him, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"I will have a man on you every moment that you are not with Morelli."

The smell of his Bulgari was like aromatherapy. It had a soothing effect. Ranger placed his hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes.

"You need to remain strong. People like him feed off of fear. You used to be strong. You've been in much worse situations."

I nodded my head, but I still couldn't control my tears.

"Babe."

"I hate being pregnant."

He kissed my forehead. "Come on. Shoot a few targets. You'll feel better."

"I will?"

A smile crept across his face. He walked me to the target and placed the earphones on my head. I noticed the targets consisted of the head and chest only.

"Do you have full body targets? I want to pretend it's Kaiser and shoot him in the balls."

Ranger burst out laughing. "Whatever you want, babe. Just don't shoot me while I'm changing the target."

Ranger changed the target and left me to my own devices while he checked on Mattie. They were conversing, but I couldn't hear them because of the protective headset I was wearing. I could see Ranger demonstrating how to properly aim the gun and giving tips to Mattie. I stared at the target and used two hands to aim. I aimed right between the target's legs and squeezed off a round. Bull's eye! I squeezed off a few more shots, and most of them hit the target between the legs. There was a huge hole where his package should've been. Ranger was right. A few shots and I was feeling much better. Ranger came over and inspected the target. He pulled my headphones off.

"I want you to hit him in the head."

"I _did _hit him in the head," I joked.

"The one on his shoulders," Ranger clarified.

"Fine." I turned and aimed for his head. I missed. I tried again and again, but I missed. "I'm better at aiming for his testicles," I declared.

"Aim for his forehead," he insisted.

I shot off another round and missed. He took the gun from me and showed me how I was allowing my wrist to drop. "Keep your wrist tight—like this." He demonstrated by firing off three shots. All three shots hit the target in the forehead.

"Maybe I don't like to shoot anyone on the head," I said in my defense.

"Babe, keep this in mind. Any felon that shoots at you isn't going to feel bad because he killed you. You're a cop's wife. You may not have as big of a target on you as you would had you married me, but you could still be easily targeted. Never forget that. Now, shoot him in the head."

I held the gun straight out and kept my wrist taught. I aimed and fired. I hit the target in the face.

"Better. Now most people will try to aim for the heart. The problem with that is you never know who's wearing a vest these days. Cops wear them, but so do the guys we are trying to get. That's why I tell you to shoot him in the head. Sometimes, you only get one shot. You need to make it count."

"Have you even shot anyone in the head?"

"Only in self defense—which brings me to my next piece of advice. Never shoot anyone out of anger. People think anger brings you strength. While it does bring you adrenaline, it also keeps you from thinking clearly. You have more of a chance of making a bad shot than if you are in complete control when you squeeze the trigger. Suppress fear, always."

"Weren't you afraid when Scrog shot you?"

"Babe, I'm not afraid to die. My fear was what he may have done to you and Julie once I was dead."

"I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

Ranger kept his eyes on my gun as he reloaded. "Keep shooting."

After our hour was up, Ranger walked me and Mattie to the Porsche.

"Tank will be with you for the rest of the day. He has orders to leave only when Morelli tells him to go."

"Thank you for being so wonderful."

"Hey, I'm just being selfish. When you get to be Grandma Mazur's age, I'd like to be that guy who tells your kid that I'm not done."

I blushed at the thought of a silver haired Carlos Manoso seducing me in my old age.

He brushed his fingers across my warm cheek. "It's nice to know I can still make you blush."

_Is he kidding? There's fire between my thighs._ I needed to remind myself that I was a married woman. "I hope we can do this again—target practice I mean."

Ranger laughed. "Sure, babe. You just let me know when."

"Friday?" I sounded a little too eager, but I had to admit I missed spending time with Ranger even if it was only as a friend.

"I'll check my schedule and get back to you, okay?"

"Okay."

I felt safe as I angled my way into the Porsche. Knowing that Tank was my protection gave me a sense of strength and security.

"Where to?" Mattie asked as he pulled out of the garage.

"I guess we should check in with Connie and Lula."

We arrived at the office just as Lula was getting ready to leave for lunch. She looked like a lumpy bottle of Peptol Bismol. She was wearing a skin tight track suit, and when she turned around, the word 'JUICY' was plastered across her ass. Even her sneakers were pink.

"Where have you been?" Lula demanded. "Vinnie is in there bitchin' and moanin' that Ricky the Fix is still out there, and he's going to lose his money."

"Stephanie, is that you? Get your ass in here!" Vinnie called from his office.

_Oh boy._

I grabbed Mattie by the hand and dragged him with me into the office. Vinnie was holding his head in his hands. He looked up as we came in. "This guy is going to cost me twenty thousand dollars if you don't bring him in. I don't care if you have to shoot him. There's two of you. Do it! You have eight days to bring him in."

"I thought I had him this morning, but when I hit him with the stun gun, it had no effect."

"Really? You're not supposed to hit him with it, you're supposed to taze him with it," he said sarcastically.

"I _did_ taze him. I'm telling you, it had no effect on him."

"Maybe you had a defective tazer."

"It wasn't defective."

"Then what's your explanation?"

Mattie stepped forward and pulled the stun gun from his coat pocket. "I have it right here. I picked it up off the floor of the lobby." Mattie reached out and tagged Vinnie on the forearm. Vinnie crumbled face down on the desk. "Gee, looks like it works to me," Mattie declared.

"Shit, Mattie! You tazered our boss!"

"He wanted to know if it worked," Mattie smirked.

Lula stuck her head into the office and saw Vinnie slumped over the desk.

"OMG! Did he have a heart attack?"

"No," I answered. "Vinnie thought the stun gun wasn't working. Mattie proved that it was."

"Oh, crap! He's gonna be pissed when he wakes up!"

"Maybe we should go to lunch. What do you think?" Mattie suggested.

"I'm starving. I threw up the pop tarts I ate for breakfast."

"We can take my car," Lula offered.

"Come on, Connie. We're going to lunch," Mattie called out to her.

"Sure. Let me just let Vinnie know that I'm going," she said as she slid out from behind the desk.

"I'm sure Vinnie won't mind," Lula replied.

Connie stepped into his office and backed out quickly. "Is he—dead?"

"No, just taking a little nap," I replied.

"He's drooling all over those papers."

Lula stepped into the office. She grabbed Vinnie by the hair, and lifted his head off the desk. She pulled the papers out, and his head hit the desk with a thump.

"Damn! Now I have to clean the guinea wop grease off of my hands." She handed Connie the drool stained papers. Connie laid them on her desk, and we hightailed it out of there.

Tank followed us in the black SUV to Pino's. He followed us inside and stood by the front door in his sentry stance. I doubled back and grabbed him.

"This place is full of cops. It's totally safe. Come and eat with us. You can sit against the wall, and I'll sit next to you." I pulled him, and he didn't budge. "Come—on!"

"I can't."

"Why the hell not? Nothing is going to happen!"

He nodded his head toward the table. "Lula."

"Oh, come on. You guys broke up like a year ago!" I got behind him and pushed. It was like trying to push a parked car. He finally took a step towards the table. "There you go! One step at a time." I pushed him all the way to the table. 'Mattie, Connie, I need you to move. Tank has to sit with his back against the wall. Rangeman protocol and I have to sit next to him." Connie and Mattie moved allowing Tank and I to sit in the booth with our backs against the wall. Lula, Mattie, and Connie sat with their backs to the door. Connie's cell phone rang. She checked the number.

"It's Vinnie."

"Well, you better answer it," I urged.

"Hi, Vinnie." She pulled the phone away from her ear. Vinnie's tirade could be heard by all of us at the table. "Vinnie, you can't fire Mateo. He's Stephanie's replacement." … "Well maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge people's capabilities." … "Pino's." … "If I bring you a cheese steak, will you calm down?" … "Yes, I'll tell them." She hung up. "He says if you don't bring in Kaiser, you'll be standing in the unemployment line."

Mattie looked up at me. "We've got Tank with us. The last time we apprehended an FTA, he was of great help."

"Yeah, but his job is not to bring in our guy," I reminded him.

"His _job_ is to keep you safe. If Kaiser tries to get near you, Tank would have to take him down, right?"

"So, now you want to use me as bait?"

"We're bounty hunters. Our job is to get him using whatever means necessary."

_Oh boy…_

I looked at my muscle bound bodyguard whose only words since we entered Pino's were "I can't" and "Lula." "Tank?"

"I thought we were going to eat?" he said changing the subject.

Lula jumped in to complete the segue. "I'm not going to overeat. I got a date with some hot chocolate tonight!"

Tanks eyes were on the curvy Latino waitress approaching the table. She took our drink orders and left. I noticed Tank watching her as she walked away. Either he was starving or he was liking that waitress.

"Marcus is taking me out to dinner and a movie. Marcus works as a bartender. You _know _he's fly! If he plays his cards right, he's going to get to taste hisself a pink Lula!"

I thought it was funny that she couldn't stop talking about Marcus. She hadn't even mentioned him on the ride over. It seemed as though this show was for Tank.

"I hope you have a great time," I interjected. "Hey, Tank. Did you see the way that waitress was looking at you? I think she was checking you out."

"She was probably wondering how he squeezed into the booth," Lula said dryly.

I didn't like Lula cutting Tank down especially when she once thought he was all that and a bag of chips. The waitress came back with our drinks. She took my order and then Tank's. Before she could take Lula's order, I announced, "I have to go to the bathroom. Tank, are you going to come with me?" I said it rather loudly. The waitress shot me a look. I smiled at her. "Oh, no. He's not my boyfriend or anything. He's my bodyguard. He could make any woman feel safe—and he's single, too!"

"I coulda married him, but I like being in charge of my own life," Lula said with an air of superiority.

"Come on, Tank." I tugged on his arm to get him to follow me. Tank waited outside the restroom with his arms folded across his chest. I was washing up when the waitress strolled in. She stood next to me and looked in the mirror.

"Is he really your body guard?" she asked.

"Well, he's assigned to me today. Have you ever heard of a man named Ranger?"

"Si, el hombre es muy caliente!"

"English, please!"

"My sister. She goes out with him."

My heart stopped. "Your sister?"

"Si, my sister, Anarosa. She got me the job."

"I didn't know Ranger was seeing anyone."

"It's only been a few weeks. He's taking her to Atlantic City this weekend." She stopped primping. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Um, I'm pregnant. Sometimes, I feel a little queasy." Although the statement was true, I was _not_ okay.

"So, this bodyguard. He likes the fat girl in pink?"

"No. They had a brief relationship. She kinda dragged him into it. I forgot to mention that Tank works for Ranger. He's Ranger's right hand man."

"Tank?"

"The bodyguard."

"Is that his real name?"

"No. He never goes by his real name. I should let _him_ tell you his real name."

"Very well. I'm going back to work. I'll tell Anarosa that you are a friend to Carlos."

"Uh—sure."

"What is your name?"

"Stephanie."

The waitress stopped dead in her tracks. "_The _Stephanie?"

"I guess."

"I hear the policia talking. You are getting married. No? They place bets with each other. Some think you will leave their friend at the altar."

I could feel my blood begin to boil. "I can assure you, I _will _be at my wedding." I couldn't believe that Joe's cop friends would think so little of me.

"I must go. I will bring your food shortly," the waitress said, as she left.

I splashed water on my face. Not only was I hurt that my friends would bet against me, but I was devastated that Ranger was seeing someone. I mean, I knew there were other women in his life, but I was never privy to see or hear about it. I took a few deep breaths. I could feel a headache coming on. I exited the restroom. Tank was still standing guard patiently. We walked back to the table and as soon as we sat down, Connie spoke. "Are you all right? You look upset."

"No. I'm fine." I lied.

The waitress returned with our orders, and she openly flirted with Tank. Tank was not one to flirt, so he just smiled at her cute remarks. After she walked away, Lula pitched a fit. Something about not doing her job, blah, blah, blah… I didn't really hear any of it. I was lost in Rangerland. I had no right to feel jealousy, but I did, plain and simple.

"Stephanie, are you listening to me?" Lula said, as she waved her hand in front of my face.

"Sorry."

"Where the hell were you?"

"I was thinking about something," I said defensively.

"About what?" Lula pressed.

"_Something! _Geesh. You're so nosy!" I barked at her.

"Well, excuse me! I wouldn't want to get all up in your thoughts or nothin'."

I was in a foul mood and I wasn't about to lick Lula's wounds. If anything, I wanted someone to lick mine.

Mattie leaned across the table. "Babe, whatever is bothering you, it will be all right."

"Don't call me 'babe'," I snapped.

Lula once again jumped at me. "You know, ever since you got pregnant, you've gotten to be such a…"

"Go ahead—say it!" I goaded her.

"Bitch! Okay?"

"At least I don't have 'juicy' plastered across my ass! That is so _not_ sexy!"

"My ass is too sexy!" She looked at Tank. "Tank, isn't my ass sexy?"

Tank looked like he wanted to run and keep on running.

"Okay, that's enough!" Connie ordered. She whipped out her phone and made a call. "Hello, Joe? Talk to your wife—to be." She handed me the phone.

"Joe?"

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

I couldn't tell him I was upset that Ranger was diddling some Latin Lolita. I deferred to the other piece of disturbing news I was given by the waitress. "Did you know that the guys on the force are placing bets that I'll leave you at the altar?"

"Yeah, I'm going to clean up."

I was shocked. "You're betting?"

"Are you kidding? I'm placing fifty dollar bets with every guy that'll take it."

"Are you crazy?"

"Were you planning on standing me up?"

"No, but…"

"Cupcake, we're already married."

"I know. That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"It's the fact that people who I thought were my friends are betting against us."

"Stephanie, the people who are betting against us are the guys in uniform, and most of them don't even know us. They only know _of _us."

"What do you mean they know _of _us?"

"In the last four years, how many times did we take a break?"

"And how many times did we get back together?"

"Sweetheart, you don't have to convince me. I married you. Stop stressing yourself over this, okay?"

"Okay," I said in defeat.

"Are you gonna be all right, or do I need to come and give you some Morelli molesting?"

I finally smiled. "While I would love that, Mattie and I have some work to do."

"You stay away from Kaiser."

"Tanks with us."

_Stephanie!"_

"I love you, bye!"

12


	18. Chapter 18

**Ahh! I finished it and it's still Thursday! I'm trying to get a chapter out every week but it's hard with the holidays and all. I hope you like it.**

TANKASTROPHY

I hung up before he could start a screamfest. We finished our lunch. I was in a better mood thanks to Connie's brilliant idea of calling Joe. It didn't matter that Joe was pissed that I was going after Kaiser. What mattered was that he loved me—no matter what. We were about to leave when Tank's phone rang.

"Yo," he said, as he answered it. He was silent for a long time. Then he finally answered. "Got it." Then he hung up.

I looked at him. "What?"

"Business." He opened the door to the Porsche and waited for me to get in. Mattie was already seated in the driver's seat.

"So, what's the plan?

"The plan is I go to the front door. You cover the back, and hopefully, Tank will cover _your _back."

"I think we should use the Buick. It's got a back seat."

"So you think we'll get him?"

"God, I hope so."

Mattie nixed the Buick citing we could put him in Tank's SUV. We pulled within a block of the house. The Honda Accord that Kaiser drove when he was in this neighborhood was parked in the driveway. Tank pulled up behind us.

"Looks like he's home," Mattie declared.

"Yep. Let's do this." I was about to get out of the car when a white ford escort pulled up to the house. "Wait," I said as I closed the car door.

"No, it's better if you go while he's otherwise engaged. If I bang on the door while he's banging her, we'll catch him off guard. I'm going to pull to the end of the block." Mattie pulled out and Tank followed. We got to the end of the block, and I jumped out. Tank was right behind me. I felt confident because I was carrying my gun, and it was even loaded. I told myself I would shoot him if given the chance. The problem was I didn't have that killer instinct that Ranger talked about. I only hoped that Kaiser didn't either—at least not when it came to me. I entered the backyard through the alley. Tank was so close to me, if I'd have tripped, he would have fallen on top of me. I secured a spot at the edge of the porch away from view from the windows. I pulled my gun from my purse.

"Are you gonna shoot him?" Tank asked.

"Yep."

He didn't respond. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't believe me.

"What? I'm going to shoot him. I'm not going to kill him. I just want to slow him down."

"Sure." He was trying hard not to smile.

We sat in our hiding place and we waited—and we waited. And we waited. Finally, my phone rang. I forgot to put it on vibrate. I answered it quickly not wanting to alert Kaiser to our presence. "Hello?" I said quietly.

"He's not here."

"What?"

"The hooker came out. She said he told her to sit tight for twenty minutes and then leave. Apparently, he gave her a new purse for her trouble as well as another client. She said he bolted out the back door. When I banged on the door, she ignored it."

"Where are you?"

"I'm inside the house."

"Did you break in?"

"No, when the prostitute came out I held the door open while she and I talked."

"Open the back door. I'm coming in."

A moment later, the back door opened. I climbed the back stairs and entered the house with Tank a half a step behind me. The house was sparsely decorated. The muted colors on the walls made the house seem almost serene. The living room had a flat screen TV and a blue couch that reminded me of one seen in an old lady's home. He had delicate white crocheted doilies on the arm rests. He had low grade wall to wall carpet in flat beige in the living room and that was about it. No pictures on the walls. No curtains on the windows, only mini-blinds. He certainly didn't entertain much.

I entered the kitchen. It was adequate at best. His appliances were older than mine with the exception of the microwave. I thought to myself, _if Joe remodeled the kitchen, I might be inclined to learn to cook. _I stored the idea in the back of my mind.

I opened the refrigerator to see what he had for food. The fridge, like the rest of the house, was clean but barren. He had ketchup, mayo, mustard, and butter in the door, cold cuts and cheese in the drawer, and milk and a bottle of merlot. The only other item was leftover Chinese food. The freezer had ice and a container of chocolate ice cream.

There were no dishes in the sink. The cupboards held four matching plates, four coffee cups, four glasses, and four bowls. Everything matched. It was the same with the utensils.

There were three fresh rolls in the bread box and a bag of sun chips. The table was old. It reminded me of the fifties. It had a Formica top and stainless steel legs. The three chairs matched the table. They also had stainless steel legs and red plastic backs that were cracked from age and duck taped to keep the stuffing from falling out.

The bathroom had a new tub, but the rest of the bathroom was comparable to mine. It was stuck in the seventies. I climbed the steps to the bedrooms. The room on the left was empty except for a single bed and the fourth chair from the kitchen table. _He couldn't possibly sleep here. The other room must be his._ Mattie had entered the other bedroom and let out a low whistle. I was leery about entering.

I stepped into the room and I was amazed. My eyes first went to the king sized bed. It was neatly covered with a blood red bedspread with black spade symbols like those on a deck of cards. The walls were pearl white. The windows were covered with royal red, floor length drapes that were tied back with black rope. The furniture was black colonial. I had to admit this room was fit for a king. There were two pictures on opposite walls. They were both covered with black velvet draping. Mattie walked to the picture directly across from the bed and pulled the draping off revealing the picture. I was mortified. It was a full length picture of me standing naked in my apartment. My hair was wet. It looked as though I had just come out of the shower.

"Wow," Tank said, as he stood staring at the picture.

"Yeah, wow. You really filled out since high school," Mattie declared.

Tank was mesmerized by the picture.

"Tank!" I shouted.

He looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Mattie, cover that back up. Better yet, take it down!"

"Do you think he won't have another one up there by tomorrow?" Mattie surmised as he covered the picture. "I wonder what's over the bed."

"I don't want to know!" I cried out.

"I do." Mattie reiterated.

I put my hands over my eyes as Mattie carefully pulled the drape back, so he could decide if he should allow us to see it. "Oh, shit…"

"What?"

He pulled the drape completely off the portrait. It was a head shot of Morelli. Kaiser had cut two slits in the portrait so he could cover Joe's eyes with a blindfold. "Why did he blindfold him?" I asked, bewildered.

"This is just a guess, but I imagine Kaiser likes looking at you when he's being serviced if you know what I mean."

"That's gross, but it still doesn't explain the picture of Joe."

"He doesn't want Morelli to look at the picture. He wants Joe to watch when he's got the real you in his bed. I'll bet he's got a camera set up in here somewhere."

"That's sick. Kaiser is never going to get me in his bed."

"He almost kidnapped you _today!_" Mattie reminded me.

"But he didn't and now I have Tank to protect me. You won't let anything happen to me, right Tank?" I said as I turned to Tank.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

"Wait, I want to finish checking everything. We may not get another chance to look around." Mattie opened the closet. Nothing but clothes. I rifled quickly through and found two pairs of dry cleaned pants and a couple of dress shirts. Now that I thought about it, Kaiser always did dress like he was going to work in an office. The only time I had seen him in jeans was the day he was walking his dog in the park.

"Tank, check the drawers to the dresser," Mattie ordered. Tank opened the drawers and carefully shifted the neatly folded clothes looking for anything unusual.

Mattie opened the drawer to the nightstand. "Here we go." He pulled out a Glock from the top drawer. "Nice." He checked the chamber. "And loaded, too." He looked at Tank. "You think it's registered?"

"Unlikely."

Mattie tucked it into his waistband. We all headed downstairs.

"I want to check the basement," Mattie announced. He tried the door. "It's locked."

"Leave it," Tank suggested.

"No, I'd like to know what's down there," I replied only to regret my words at the thought that we might find the missing girl.

Tank reached into the utility pocket in his cargo pants and pulled out a small tool. He inserted it into the lock, and a few seconds later, the door was open. Tank felt along the wall for the light switch. He started down the steps with me and Mattie close behind him.

"Bingo!" Mattie crowed.

"Wow! Look at all this stuff!" There were about a hundred purses and handbags of all different sizes and brands. He had book shelves lining the walls. Each shelf had about a half dozen duplicate handbags and there were a dozen shelves. My eyes went straight to a cute little Coach bag.

"You think he'd mind if I borrowed one for a bit?"

"Well, we do need to check for suspicious merchandise. You know, see if this stuff is legitimate and all," Mattie reasoned.

Tank picked up random bags and checked through them. "These are clean."

"I don't know. I don't get why a guy like Richard Kaiser would be dealing in lady's handbags." I stated. "I still feel like this all means something."

"Okay, I've seen enough. Let's get the hell out of here."

We all marched out the front door with our prizes: Mattie with his new gun, me with my new purse, and Tank with me. He deliberately shielded me as I walked out the front door. Once Mattie and I were secure in the Porsche, Tank walked back to his vehicle and angled into the driver's seat. He immediately picked up the phone, no doubt checking in with the Wizard. I cringed at the thought of Ranger hearing about the naked picture. I wondered if he'd be more upset about Kaiser using it for his pleasure or the fact that Tank had seen it.

"Let's head back to the office. Maybe there are some new FTA's we can handle today," I suggested.

"You never did check out the other FTA we were given the other day."

"No, did you?"

"Yeah, she wasn't much. Drug possession and soliciting—multiple offenses, but it wasn't a high bond. According to the paperwork, she's never skipped before although this was her first drug charge."

"Maybe she's afraid she'll do some real time. Let's get he file and see if Lula knows her. If she's working the street, she'd be an easy pickup."

"Sure, boss," Mattie said with a smile.

We returned to the office. There were two other files added to the one Mattie spoke of. I read the first file. Daniel Tanner: wanted for assault. He had apparently beaten someone up in front of a bar. It wasn't his first offense. Apparently, he was a belligerent drunk and in this case, someone hit on his girlfriend. She got pissed off, and the argument escalated between his girl and the offending guy. Daniel took matters into his own hands. The file stated that he broke the other guy's nose and stabbed him in the arm with a switchblade.

"I'm not so sure we should approach this guy."

"Oh, come on. He works at the supermarket as a stocker."

"That means he works nights."

"Whaddya say we go shopping around ten?"

"What about Joe?"

"Tell him you have to work."

"I don't know." I wasn't feeling particularly lucky lately.

"Hey, we have Tank to back us up."

"Tank needs to have a life, too. I can't expect him to follow me twenty-four-seven."

"I thought he was your bodyguard?"

"Only until Joe tells him to go."

"Then don't go home. That way, Joe can't tell him to go."

"I can't do that."

"I'll be with you. You won't be alone."

Lula entered the office. "It is such a nice day out there. I'm thinking of taking the rest of the day off, so I can go shopping for a new outfit for my hot date tonight."

"Maybe you could file that desk full of charts first," Connie suggested.

"And since when are you my boss?" Lula shot back.

Connie picked up the nameplate on her desk and slammed it back down. "It says 'Office Manager'. Maybe that's why you can't file; you can't read. Maybe I should fire your ass."

"Okay! You don't have to get all testy about it. I always do my work."

I saw red in Connie's eyes. Before she could go off, I engaged Lula in conversation. "Lula, I need you to look at this file and tell me if you know this chick. She's FTA, and we were hoping you might know where to find her."

I handed Lula the file, and she looked it over. "Oh yeah, I know her. She used to work four blocks down from the corner I worked. Her pimp is Lawrence Creekmore. He was Larry when we were growing up, but once he made a name for himself in the prostitution world, he made everyone call him Lawrence. He likes to keep his girl's high, so he can control them. If she thinks you'll give her a snort, she'll do anything you ask."

"Thanks for the info." I turned to Mattie. "I say we go see if she's working. We'll take your car. I'll lay down behind the seat. You pretend you're looking for a blowjob."

"Offer her ten bucks and a line of coke. She'll get right in, trust me," Lula exclaimed.

"Once she's in the car, I'll cuff her."

"What about Tank? She's not going to even come near the car of she see's him tailing us."

"I'll tell him not to follow too close. He's a professional. He can tail us without being obvious about it."

Mattie headed to his car, and I walked over to Tank. "We're going to pick up an FTA. She's a streetwalker. I'm going to hide in the backseat. I need to make sure she doesn't spot you following us."

"How are you going to hide in the backseat and expect her not to spot you?"

"I'll throw a blanket over me."

"She's not retarded, is she?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Well anyone would spot you hiding under a blanket."

"What do you suggest then?"

"I suggest he go alone and pick her up. Tell her he's going to take her behind a building down the street. Once she's in the car, we'll follow and snag her when he parks."

"Let me tell Mattie." I ran back to Mattie's car and told him of Tank's plan. He agreed, and I ran back to Tank's SUV and got in. We drove down Stark Street past the block that Lula used to do her business on when she was still a 'ho'. A few more blocks and I saw Mattie slow down. I set my sights on the girl on the file. "He's got her." We passed the car, and Tank drove to the end of the block and pulled to the side of the road. There were more hookers on this corner, and they looked at us suspiciously. One buxom African American with a blond weave sauntered up to the SUV. She stuck her head in my window and addressed Tank. "Hey there, handsome. You need a real woman?"

I glared at her. "You think I'm not all woman?"

"He'd devour you, honey."

"Get the fuck away from my fiancé!" I bellowed and I flashed my ring at her.

I looked over at Tank, and he was smiling.

"She's not good enough for you, anyway," I huffed.

"Oops. There goes our man." Tank pulled away from the curb and followed Mattie a few blocks. He turned into an apartment building and parked in the back. Tank pulled up beside him. We both got out at the same time. The girl realized something was going down. She panicked and tried to exit the car and run. She never made it past Tank. He held her with one hand. I slapped the cuffs on her and gave her my speech.

"Andrea Brown? My name is Stephanie Plum. I am a bond enforcement agent employed by Vincent Plum. You missed your court date, and I'm here to take you back to police station, so you can go before the judge and reschedule your court date. If you need to be bonded out again, you can call Vinnie."

Tank helped her into the backseat of the car and I slipped in next to her. Mattie drove to the station with Tank following behind. It was the easiest pickup I had made in a very long time. When we got out of the station with body receipt in hand, we gave each other a high five. I thought that maybe, just maybe with Tank in tow, we could actually pull off picking up Daniel Tanner. As we drove back to the office, I found my phone in my purse and called Ranger.

"Yo."

"I have a question."

"Go."

"If I go home to Joe, and then I go back out to pick up an FTA at say nine thirty, can I get Tank to accompany me?"

"Tank's day will be over, but I can get you someone else."

"Someone else? Like who?"

"Babe, all my men are good at what they do."

"I know. I just like Tank and Cal."

Mattie pulled up to the office and got out. I sat in the car to finish my conversation with Ranger.

"Babe, while I have you on the phone, I can't make Friday, but you can still use the facilities if you'd like."

I remembered the conversation with the waitress at Pino's "Right. You have a prior commitment with Anarosa in Atlantic City." I said it with just enough venom for Ranger to pick up on it.

"Babe."

"I'm not your babe anymore," I snapped.

"Stephanie, can we talk?"

"What is there to talk about? You have a new love in your life. I get it."

"Stephanie, I don't want to discuss this over the phone. Come to my office, and we'll talk about it here."

"I can't."

"Stephanie, if you want me to continue to be a part of your life, we need to talk about this."

"Fine. I'll take my chances on my own." I hung up before he could respond. I got out of the car and stomped into the office. "We're on our own, tonight," I announced.

"No Tank?"

"Nope. I don't think Ranger will be watching my back anymore."

"Why? What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." My cell phone rang. I checked the number. It was Joe. "Hey."

"Hi, sweetheart. I'll be getting off at six. I was wondering if you'd like to cook dinner together or we could go out to eat if you're not up to it."

"You want to _cook _with _me_?"

"Sure. We could broil steaks and roast some potatoes in the oven. We can even make a salad."

"Hello? Who is this?"

Joe laughed. "I know you're not much on cooking, but I thought if we did it together, it might be fun."

I must have been in a state of shock because I didn't answer.

"Cupcake?"

"Um, okay."

"I'll meet you at the house at six, and we'll do some food shopping. This morning I noticed the cupboards were pretty bare," he pointed out.

I had the file on Tanner in my purse. I pulled it out. "Um, can we shop at the Shop Rite on Trenton Ave?"

"Why?"

"I need some information on an employee. I want to go out later tonight to pick him up, and I need to know what time he'll be there."

"You're going to work tonight?" I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Just for an hour or two."

"You're not going to do this by yourself, are you?"

"No, I'll be with Mattie and there will be a Rangeman with me." It was a lie.

Joe was silent on the other end. "I'm coming with you," he finally said.

"Fine. The more, the merrier."

"I'll see you at six." He disconnected. He didn't say I love you, so I knew he was frustrated at the very least.

I turned to Mattie. "We're on for tonight." I figured if Joe was going, I'd just tell him that I called Ranger and told him his guy wouldn't be necessary. Joe wouldn't have to know that Ranger and I had a falling out. _No harm, no foul, right?_

"Excellent," Mattie crooned. "I'm gonna head out to see if I can spend a little time with my kids. I'll meet you at Morelli's at nine-thirty?"

"Sure, sounds great."

With that, Mattie was out the door and gone. I sat on the couch, and my mind went to Ranger. I pictured him in Atlantic City in some fabulous hotel room seducing Anarosa. I had never met her, but I imagined her built like Jessica Rabbit. She would feel the heat from his touch and respond willingly. My eyes began to pool with tears. Connie noticed immediately.

"Stephanie, what's wrong? You didn't have a fight with Morelli, did you?"

"No, I had a fight with Ranger."

Lula immediately took interest in the conversation. "You and Batman had a fight?—over what?"

"He's got a girlfriend and he's taking her to Atlantic City for the weekend." I choked on the words.

"You've got a fiancé!" Lula blasted. "What should it matter what he does?" She added with sarcasm.

Connie was more understanding. She rose from her desk, sat on the couch, and gave me a motherly hug. "Maybe it's for the best. It will give you both closure."

"Closure? What's she need closure for? He weren't never gonna marry her anyway."

Connie snapped back. "Shut up, Lula. You've been a whore for so long; you don't know what love is."

Lula placed her hands on her hips. "I thought she loved Morelli."

"_I do!_" I cried out. "But I love Ranger, too," I lamented.

"And I'm sure he loves you, too. It can't be easy for him knowing you married Morelli."

"What are you talking about—married! She ain't married him yet," Lula blasted.

I shot Connie a look. "Well, she's giving up her apartment to Mattie and moving in with him. They might as well already be married," Connie said, covering her ass.

"He said he wants to talk, but I can't. I'm afraid I'll do something stupid and hurt Joe. I can't do that to him."

"You're right to stay away. Too much temptation. Wait till you have your emotions under control."

"It's not that I don't love Joe. I'm just having a hard time letting go of Carlos."

"Carlos! Whoa! You never said you were on a first name basis with him!" Lula replied.

"Lula!" Connie barked. "Don't you have something to do?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I need to eat before I go on this date with Marcus. I don't want to be starvin' when he takes me out to dinner. Wouldn't want him to think I didn't eat all day, so I could maintain this girlish figure."

_Oh boy._

It was almost five. I pulled myself together. Connie and I left Vinnie to close up shop. Tank was still in his Rangeman SUV waiting patiently for my next move. I angled my way into the Porsche and headed home. _I need to return this Porsche, _I thought to myself. As much as I loved the car, it was a constant reminder of Ranger. At the house Tank accompanied me to the door.

"Let me go in first so I can make sure the coast is clear."

"Sure," I replied as I pushed the key into the lock. I opened the door, and Bob came at me at a full gallop.

"Watch out!" I tried to warn Tank, but he realized too late the reason for my warning. Bob bowled him over, and Tank fell backwards down two steps flat on his back on the brick and concrete walkway. Bob never even slowed down. He bounded off to Mrs. Rupp's bushes to do his business. "Oh my God! Tank! Are you all right?"

He sat up slowly. "I think so."

"Are you sure?"

"I just got the wind knocked out of me."

I helped him to his feet and guided him up the steps and into the house. I went back to the door and called Bob in. He returned wagging his tail clueless to the havoc he had caused. Tank was sitting on the couch holding his abdomen and taking slow, deep breaths.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Okay, I have…" I opened the fridge. Kaiser's fridge looked full next to ours. "…water." _We really need to shop. _"I have a Heineken."

"Can't. I'm on duty."

"You sound like a cop."

"Ranger's rules. No alcoholic beverages until you pull into the garage."

"You sure are a loyal employee."

"I enjoy my job."

"Even when you have to babysit me?"

"Especially when I'm babysitting you. It's definitely an adventure being around you."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

"Sometimes me and Cal arm wrestle to get you."

"Now I'm flattered."

I flipped on the TV and took a seat next to Tank. Bob sat in front of Tank and demanded his attention. Tank rubbed Bob's head and stroked his ears.

"Do you still have your cats?"

"Absolutely. Those little guys are my family. They saved my life."

"They saved your life?"

"Yeah, if it weren't for them, I'd be stuck with Lula right now."

I couldn't help but laugh. At that moment the front door opened, and Joe entered. I popped off the couch and rushed to him. I placed my arms around his neck and kissed him. It wasn't a peck, but I kept in mind that Tank was probably watching. It was just enough to make a man want more.

"Wow. I think I could get used to this. Too bad we have company," Joe said softly.

"And I had nothing to offer him except water."

"I guess we should go shopping."

Tank was up and off the couch and heading our way. "I guess it's okay for me to go. My kitties are waiting on me. You're going to stay with her, right?"

Joe smiled. "Wild horses couldn't drag me away from her tonight."

As Tank headed for the door, I remembered that I had told Ranger that I'd take my chances on my own. I realized that I might not see Tank again. After all, it wasn't as if we hung out in the same places. "Tank!" I called as I crossed the hall to him. I wrapped my arms around his massive chest and gave him a hug. He looked confused. "I told Ranger I don't need him anymore," I said in a small voice.

"Why would you do that?"

"I don't want to talk about it." My eyes welled up with tears once again. _Fuck! I hate being pregnant! _I closed the door behind Tank and turned around to see Joe standing in his cop stance with his hands on his waist.

"What was that all about?" he demanded.

"I don't want to talk about it," I croaked.

"Sweetheart, you're crying."

"He's got a girlfriend!" I blurted out.

"Tank?"

"Ranger!"

"Oh, Jesus."

I broke down and cried, and poor Joe was at a loss. He approached me slowly and gently wrapped his arms around me. "You're still in love with him." It was a statement rather than a question. I nodded my head. He backed away. "Stephanie, I love you more than life itself, but if you don't feel the same way towards me, I don't want to railroad you into a marriage. The three days aren't up. You can still back out."

"_NO!_" I cried through the tears.

"Are you sure?"

I wiped my face with my palms and reeled in my emotions. "Joseph Morelli, I love you, and I'm thrilled to be your wife. It just hurts to think that Ranger got over me so quickly."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't know if I'd ever get over you." Joe pulled me tightly into his arms. "Let's go shopping." He kissed my forehead and released me. Bob barked. We turned our attention to him. He was jumping around anxiously. "Did he go out?"

"Yeah."

"Did you feed him?"

"There's no dog food left."

"We'd better get going before he eats the couch."

We drove to the Shop Rite on Trenton Ave. After we entered the store, I moseyed up to the front desk. "Excuse me," I said in my sweetest voice. "Can you tell me if Danny Tanner works here?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Sorry." I shot my hand out to shake the hand of the girl behind the counter. "I'm Stephanie. My brother went to school with Danny. I just got back into town, and my brother asked me to look him up."

"He'll be in later tonight."

"What time?"

"He always works ten to six on Tuesday nights after the perishable truck comes in."

"Thanks."

"What's your last name?"

"Chandler—but that's my married name. I used to be Mastriano." I chose that name because there were tons of Mastrianos in this city. They were baby making machines. I figured the odds were good that he went to school with one of them.

I caught up to Joe on aisle two.

"I got everything we need for salad," he exclaimed.

"Great. Did you get any fruit?"

"No, I didn't know you wanted any."

Joe followed me back to produce where we chose grapes, apples, and oranges. We cruised the next two aisles and deposited a dozen cans and boxes of items to fill the cupboards. Aisle three dumped us out at the meat counter. Joe was checking out steaks when my phone rang. It was Lula.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Tank just called me. He needs a ride, and I got to go on my date."

"Why didn't he call me?"

"He said they took his phone because it was company property. He said he had to borrow a phone from a stranger, and my number was the only one he could remember."

"They who? Who took his phone?"

"Didn't I tell you? Tank got fired!" 

11


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the lateness, Christmas activities have taken up a lot of my writing time. I have eight reviews on . Thank you, Siren Renee. I'm so glad we have become friends. You have been such a huge supporter since A Soul' Hope.**

**I hope to get one more chapter in before Christmas. Enjoy…**

JOE'S REVENGE

"What do you mean Tank got fired?"

"I don't know. He just said that when he finished his workday, he went back to Rangeman. Ranger's lawyer met him in the garage, told him he was terminated, and that he needed to hand over the keys to his vehicle, his cell phone, and his gun. Then four of Ranger's guys showed him to the door."

"And you didn't pick him up?"

"I have a date with Marcus," she said coldly.

"Jesus, Lula! What kind of heartless bitch are you?"

"It's not as if he was in the hospital or something. Besides, he dumped me. I don't owe him a thing." It was the first time Lula admitted to being dumped.

"Where is he?"

"He's in a little bar a block away from Rangeman called Moe's."

"I know it." I hung up and looked at Joe. His face conveyed the shock I was feeling.

"Tank got fired?"

"Yes, I need the keys to the car."

"Why?"

"He's stranded. I need to go get him."

"Stranded where?"

"He told Lula he's at Moe's. Apparently he was told he was terminated and they took everything—his car, his cell phone, and his gun. At least he has an apartment outside of Rangeman or he'd be on the street!"

"What are we going to do with this food?" Joe asked.

"You finish shopping and I'll come back for you."

"Oh, no. I'm not leaving you alone. Kaiser's probably out in the parking lot waiting for you."

"Fine." I took the cart from Joe and rolled it toward the produce doors leading to the back room. A man was inside filling a float with boxes of vegetables. "Excuse me," I said as I opened the door. "My husband is a cop, and he's been called for an emergency. Can I leave this cart here for about an hour and come back for it?"

The bearded gentleman smiled. "Sure, darlin'. Wheel it on in here."

Joe pushed the cart into the room and thanked the gentleman. We were quiet in the car. I suppose we were both wondering what could have warranted Ranger firing his right hand man. _Maybe he couldn't deal with the fact that Tank had seen me naked in the portrait in Kaiser's room—it's not as if he could have helped it._

"Sweetheart, what are you thinking about?"

"Same thing you are."

"I've known Tank to be Ranger's wingman for a long time," Joe pointed out.

"According to Lula, Ranger wasn't the one who fired him. He had someone else do it."

We pulled up to Moe's and went inside. Tank was sitting at the bar drinking a beer. Joe slid into the seat beside him, and I stood at Joe's back.

"So what happened?' Joe asked.

"Damned if I know. I spent the day with Stephanie and returned to the garage after you got home. Next thing I know, I'm being told by a damn pencil pusher that Mr. Manoso is letting me go." He paused and took a swig of his beer. "I asked him if it was a joke. He had four of Ranger's biggest guys backing him up."

"Hal was there?"

"Yep, Hal was there—Cal, too. Mr. Burton, who is Ranger's lawyer, said that I broke Mr. Manoso's number one rule."

"What rule is that?" I asked.

"Passing privileged information."

"What information did you pass?" Joe took the words right out of my mouth.

"I don't know! I've been sitting here going over everything I've said or done in the past week and I haven't got a clue."

I was livid. "I need to go talk to him," I said abruptly.

"Stephanie, this is none of your business," Joe reminded me.

"Maybe it is. Tank's spent a lot of time with me this past week. Maybe it's something I know that got leaked, and he's blaming it on Tank."

"Thanks, Stephanie, but I really just want to go home."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. My family lives in Miami. Maybe I'll go back there. There's nothing to keep me here. My best friend was Ranger."

My hormones kicked in and I started to cry. "Everything is so screwed up," I lamented. We dropped Tank off at his apartment. I hugged him good-bye and assured him that Vinnie would hire him in a second.

Joe broke the silence on the way back to Shop Rite. "You aren't going to let this go until you talk to Ranger, are you?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why he fired Tank?"

Joe sighed. "Go ahead, call him."

I dialed the number and I got a recording stating the party I was trying to reach was not available and I should try again later. I disconnected.

"He shut off his phone."

"No, he didn't."

"If you don't believe me, then call him yourself!"

Joe pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Ranger. A moment later, he hung up. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Something is wrong. Ranger would never shut down like this."

"I don't know. I'm not going to say it's not your business because I know you, Steph—and you are going to make it your business, but can it wait until tomorrow? I've got the night off."

"Sure. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. Just transfer a little of that concern to me."

I didn't answer because I felt bad. Joe had been really great. Even when I told him that I still loved Ranger, he didn't blow a gasket. He was sedate and he acted as if he understood—even if he really didn't. Tonight, I would show him the honeymoon was not over.

Joe pulled into the parking lot of the Shop Rite. I got out of the car and waited for him. Joe grabbed the front of my coat and pulled me to him. He planted his lips on mine. The kiss seemed almost desperate. "Are you still mine?"

I smiled genuinely. "I'm still yours."

"Good." He let go of my jacket.

We found our shopping cart right where we left it. I was playful in the store as we shopped. I was still worried about Tank and Ranger, but Joe was right; there was nothing I could do about it tonight, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

We hauled our groceries into the house. Bob had rifled through the kitchen trash looking for a meal. Luckily, there wasn't much for him to devour. Most of the trash consisted of soda cans, beer bottles, an empty cereal box, and a chip bag. The bag was torn to shreds but there was no sign of any chip crumbs. Bob had licked the floor and the bag clean. The first thing I did was feed Bob while Joe put away the groceries. It was almost eight by the time we started dinner.

Joe cut a couple of potatoes into bite sized pieces and shook them up in a seasoning bag. He placed them on an oil-coated pan and popped them in the oven. I made the salad and cut up an onion to fry up for the steaks. He pulled a beer from the fridge and took a long pull.

"I'm going to start the grill, okay?"

"Sure."

Bob went with him. I realized that it was the first time since this morning that I had a moment to myself. I liked my solitude. I reached down to my baby bump and thought about the fact that in a few months, I would never be alone again. Okay, maybe I was exaggerating, but still, I would be responsible for another life. I shuddered at the thought. I was barely responsible for myself. _How am I going to do this?_

Joe re-entered the kitchen. "The grill is lit." He looked up at me and saw the concern on my face. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I pulled the steaks from the package and set them on a plate. I used the spices that Joe had in the cabinet over the stove for steaks and poured a little Worcestershire sauce over them.

"Looks good," he declared. He kissed me on the cheek and marched off with the steaks to the grill. I set the table for two. It was a strange feeling. Usually Joe and I sat on the couch and wolfed down pizza and or subs. Now this was my home. I looked around the living room. I would most likely live here until I died—this house with Joe's aunt's curtains still hanging in the windows. I wondered if he'd be upset if I bought new curtains.

Joe returned with the grilled steaks just as I was pulling the potatoes out of the oven. We sat at the kitchen table—Joe at the head of the table like my father. I sat to the right of him. He started to cut up his steak.

"Wait." I reached out and stopped him.

"What?"

"This is our first meal as husband and wife."

"O-kaaay…"

"Joe, we should do something to commemorate it."

Joe stood up, took my hand, and helped me to my feet. He put his arms around me. "This dinner looks great. We make a good team."

"I love you, Joe."

He kissed me. It wasn't a kiss that leads to sex. It was a nice little kiss that a husband would give a wife to thank her for cooking dinner. "I love you, too, cupcake. Can we eat now?"

"Sure."

He released me and sat down. "Next time, I'll buy you flowers."

We were about halfway through dinner when I decided to pose my question about the curtains. "Joe?"

"Hmm?" he answered as he swallowed.

"This is my house, too, right?"

"Of course it is."

"Would you be mad if I did a little redecorating?"

"That depends. Am I going to be sleeping under a pink blanket with lace pillow shams and curtains?"

"I was talking about replacing your aunt's curtains."

He chuckled. "Cupcake, the only reason I didn't throw them away already is because I was too lazy to replace them."

"Good. I was afraid you kept them because they reminded you of her."

"Sweetheart, she left me the whole house. Everything reminds me of her. I'm not going to get upset if you want to change a few things. I think she would want us to make it our own."

I let out a breath of relief.

"Just don't toss anything without checking with me first. There are a few things I would like to keep."

"Like?"

"Like the picture of her and my uncle in the hallway. I know it's old, but I like it."

"I would never throw away a memory like that."

"You know, we are going to make a lot of great memories here."

"Joe—are you nervous about being a parent?"

"No, are you?"

"More like terrified."

"You're going to be a great mother—you'll see. And considering the dog you married, I'm sure you'll keep your kids on the straight and narrow."

"You're not a dog."

"Maybe not now, but you thought I was when you ran me over with your dad's car."

"That's because you took my virginity and then ran like hell. You broke my heart."

"So this thing with Ranger, is this payback?"

"No!"

Joe put his plate on the floor for Bob to lick clean.

"Mattie will be here soon." I announced.

"You're really going to do this tonight?"

"Yep."

Joe took a deep breath and finished his second beer. "I guess I'm done for tonight," he mumbled as he set down the empty beer bottle.

"You don't have to come you know."

"Right, I'm going to sit here while my wife is out tracking down felons."

I decided not to argue. I got up and began to clear the table. There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Joe said as I marched off to the kitchen with an armful of dishes. He returned a minute later with Mattie in tow.

"Hey, I thought you said Ranger wasn't going to be looking out for you anymore?" Mattie said as he entered the kitchen.

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked.

"There's a Rangeman vehicle outside," Mattie declared.

"There is?" I replied with surprise.

"Whoa!" Joe interjected. "What do you mean Ranger isn't going to be looking out for you anymore. Why wasn't I notified?"

"He didn't exactly say he wasn't going to look out for me. It was more like I told him I'd be fine on my own."

"Why would you do that?" Joe pressed.

"We had a disagreement."

"About what?"

"Something personal."

"Excuse me?" Joe said with anger in his voice.

"I'm just gonna wait in the car," Mattie said calmly.

"Mattie, you don't have to do that," I replied in an effort to get him to stay.

"No. I think he _should_ wait in the car." Joe replied. Mattie was out the door before I could say anything further. "Let me get something straight with you. Whatever goes on in your life involves me. There is no personal. Now, do you want to tell me what the argument was about?"

"No."

"_God damn it, Stephanie!_ _Do you want to be married or not?_"

"Yes," I said timidly. "I have to go. Mattie is waiting."

"Fine. You want to keep secrets? I can keep secrets, too." He turned and walked out.

"Joe!" I called after him. I grabbed my coat and locked the door on my way out. Joe was already in his SUV. "Joe!" I banged on his window as he started the engine.

He rolled the window halfway down. "Don't wait up," he growled. Then he slammed the car into reverse, backed out of the driveway, and took off.

Mattie came up to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, let's go." I figured we were married, right? I'd give him a few hours to cool off and I'd talk about it with him later. He was going to blow a gasket when I told him the truth about my jealous tirade with Ranger. "How are we going to do this thing?" I asked as we got under way.

"Well, I figured if he's a stocker, he'd probably be working one of the aisles, so there's only two ways he can run. If you and I approach him in one direction and Tank comes from the other direction…"

"Tank's not following us."

Mattie looked in the rearview mirror. "He's right behind us."

"It's not Tank. It's someone else. Tank got fired."

"What?"

"He got fired today."

"Why?"

"He doesn't know. He wasn't told."

"I'll bet it's because Ranger is jealous."

"Jealous of what?"

"The picture."

I played dumb. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Tank saw the picture of you naked. I'll bet he told Ranger."

"Even if he did, it's not like he would be bragging about it. Ranger couldn't fire him for doing his job. Besides, Tank said that he was told that he passed privileged information."

"Wow. You think he's a double agent?"

"No way. He was Ranger's best friend."

"You know what they say—keep your enemies close."

"I will not believe that Tank would be capable of deceiving Ranger for all these years. Tomorrow, come hell or high water, I'm going to find out why Ranger fired his best friend."

"So, I guess you're going to be late for work tomorrow," he surmised.

"Probably."

"What about Morelli?"

"He's pissed right now. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just do this, so I can go home and face the music."

"Did you sleep with Ranger?"

"What? No! I'm not going to cheat on my husband."

"Okay, just checking."

We pulled up to the Shop Rite.

"Let me talk to whoever's in the SUV."

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

I marched up to the sleek black Rangemobile. I slowed as I considered that it could be Ranger behind the wheel. I wanted to talk to him, but not now. Not in the middle of the Shop Rite parking lot at ten o'clock at night. The door opened as I approached, and Halosaurus stepped out.

"Hey, Hal. I thought Ranger wasn't putting a man on me anymore."

"Last time I talked to him, he told me to arrive at Morelli's house at nine and to stay with you until you are safe in the house with Morelli. He told me not to deviate from the task and not to call him unless there was an emergency."

"Why did he fire Tank today?"

"Don't know. It isn't my business."

"Tank is your friend. Don't you care?"

"I care, but if Ranger or Tank wanted me to know, they'd tell me."

"Well, I want to know," I said adamantly.

"I guess you should ask one of them."

"I did. Tank doesn't know why he's been fired."

"Then I suppose he should take that up with Ranger," he said as a matter of fact.

"How is he supposed to do that when Ranger sent the goon squad to do his dirty work? Ranger won't even answer his phone."

"I don't know. Again, it's none of my business."

I huffed out a deep breath. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"That depends. I'm not going to put you in touch with Ranger, if that's what you're asking."

"No. I can't deal with him right now. I need your muscle. There's an FTA who works as a stocker in the store. Mattie and I are hoping to take him in. I need you to block his exit."

"Is he dangerous?"

"He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. At the very least, he carries a knife."

Hal nodded and reached under the seat for his gun. "Let's do it."

Mattie was waiting for us. I showed each of them the picture in the file. We started out on the first aisle and checked every aisle. We looked down fourteen aisles. We were about to give up and ask the front desk if he had come to work when we spotted him. He was working the perishable aisle—eggs, butter, and yogurt. He was a big guy; not as big as Tank but definitely bigger than Mattie. His file stated that he was thirty, but he looked younger. He was blond with a mustache that reached all the way to the bottom of his chin.

Mattie and I walked slowly down the aisle. We were waiting for Hal to get into position. Mattie stopped about eight feet from him and I continued. I stopped directly in front of our FTA as he was checking the eggs in the cartons.

"Excuse me. Are you Daniel Tanner?"

"Yeah, why?"

"My name is Stephanie Plum and I represent Vincent Plum Bail Bonds."

At that moment my attention was drawn to Joe, who had just rounded the corner behind Hal. He was wearing his badge and his gun. Before I could say another word, Daniel slammed the open carton of eggs into my neck and with the other hand shoved me in the chest with enough force to knock me on my ass. I looked up to see that he had turned to run and realized his escape was blocked by Hal and Joe. He did an about face and bulldozed his way towards Mattie, only he slipped in the egg and fell to one knee giving Hal the seconds he needed to knock him to the floor. He pressed his knee into Daniel's back.

At that point, Joe rushed to me. "Stephanie, are you hurt?"

"No, but why is it always me who gets covered in crap!"

I expected Joe to smile and make light of my dilemma, but he didn't. Instead he helped me to my feet. "Be careful. It's slippery."

Once I was solidly on my feet, Joe walked up to Daniel, who was now on his feet and cuffed, and he decked him. One solid punch to the face. Daniel reeled backward and looked a little dizzy.

"You son of a bitch!" Joe growled. He pulled back to hit him again. Hal grabbed his arm and pushed him back a few feet. "Not here," Hal warned him.

Daniel had regained his senses. There was blood pouring from his nose. "You bastard! You broke my nose. That's police brutality! I'll report you!"

"You go right ahead," Joe hissed. "I'll bring you up on assault charges for attacking my pregnant wife and our unborn baby. She came in here as a peace officer to give you the opportunity to come quietly to the station. She never even touched you. Who do you think the judge is going to side with?" Joe said with arrogance.

"I didn't know she was pregnant!"

Joe got in Daniel's face. "That shouldn't fucking matter! She's a woman!"

I pushed Joe backwards and got between them. "Joe, you're not mad at him. You're mad at me."

"You're right. I'm god damned fucking pissed at you right now." He backed away and headed up the aisle.

"Where are you going?" I called out.

"It's personal!" he yelled out with him arms held out for effect.

"Come on. Let's get him to the station," Mattie said in an effort to diffuse the situation.

"I need to use the bathroom. I'll meet you outside."

Hal shot a look at Mattie. "We'll cuff him to the door and I'll come back for you," Hal said calmly.

I headed to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror. I was a mess from head to toe. They didn't even have paper towels—only a hand dryer. I went back into the store and grabbed a roll of paper towels off the shelf. I stripped off my shirt and tried my best to clean the shirt and myself. The egg had leaked down into my bra. It was all over my pants from when I fell. I was drying my shirt under the hand dryer when Hal pushed the door open and called out. "Stephanie, are you in there?"

"Yes, I'll be out in a minute!"

After a few more minutes my shirt seemed dry enough. My hair was still wet, but I knew he had been waiting a while. I emerged from the bathroom. Hal was vigilantly standing guard. "Let's go," I said quietly.

Mattie was waiting for us in the parking lot with Daniel cuffed in the back seat of his car. I opted to drive with Hal. I didn't need our FTA knowing my business. Hal didn't mention the outburst made by Joe. It was a blessing that none of the cops on duty were guys that I knew. My hair was stuck together and my pants were coated with dried egg. If anyone did know who I was, they kept mum about it. As soon as we got the body receipt, I bolted for the parking lot. Mattie caught up with me at the car.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow—when?"

"I don't know. If you want to go on your own—that's fine by me—or you could take Lula."

"I think I'll just sleep in and wait for you."

Hal drove me home. I was hoping that Joe would be home, but he wasn't.

"My orders are to stay close until Morelli gets home."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on." This time, I warned Hal about Bob before I opened the door. We stood to the side and gave Bob the space he needed to charge past us.

"Let me go in first," Hal insisted. Hal checked the lower level of the house quickly and gave me the okay to enter. Bob was finished with his business and trotted happily into the house. I checked on Rex who was busily running to China on his wheel. I opened the fridge and pulled out a grape and dropped it into his cage. He ignored it and kept running.

"I'm going upstairs to take a shower."

Again, Hal climbed the stairs ahead of me and checked all three rooms before giving the go ahead to come up.

"Do you mind if I take my shower now?"

"Wait," he said abruptly.

"For what?"

"Ranger said that there was evidence that there may be cameras or other electronic devices planted in the house. Let me check the bathroom."

"Okay, but the evidence in question was taken at my apartment—which reminds me." I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Mattie.

"Hey, Steph. Miss me already?"

I chuckled lightly. "Remember the picture of me naked?"

"How could I forget?"

"I wanted to let you know that picture was taken in my apartment. You may want to give it the once over before a naked picture of you ends up on the internet or something."

"Okay, will do."

I disconnected as Hal exited the bathroom. "She's clean," he said.

"I wish I was clean."

"Go right ahead. I'm going to check the rest of the house."

I took a long hot shower. I put on my robe and went downstairs. Hal was sitting on the couch watching the late show.

"Did you find anything?"

"Yep. I found a camera in your bedroom and a listening device right here in the living room. You may want to get an alarm system for the house." A shudder went down my spine at the thought of Kaiser watching me and Joe in the throws of passion.

I picked up the little camera off the coffee table. "It's smashed," I pointed out.

"It's the only way to shut 'em off."

I dropped the camera back in the table. "What time is it?"

"Just after midnight."

"What if he doesn't come home?"

"I guess I'll be sleeping on the couch then."

I ran upstairs and pulled the phone from my coat pocket. No calls. I dialed Joe. It went to voicemail. I left a message. "Joe, please come home. Hal won't leave until you're here. I tried to get him to go, but he says he's under orders."

I went back downstairs and offered Hal a drink, which he accepted. I was sitting on the couch staring blindly at the TV when Joe called back.

"Hello?" I could hear the music in the background. He was obviously at a bar or a club.

"What do you want, Stephanie?"

I rose off the couch as I spoke. "Didn't you get my message? I want you to come home, so Hal can leave."

"Why don't you call your boyfriend to watch over you? You can have a good 'ol time like I plan on doing." I heard a female voice in the background.

I climbed the stairs as I spoke. This was a conversation that I didn't want Hal to hear. "First of all, Ranger is not my boyfriend, and second—I don't need anyone to watch over me. You two set up this gig."

I could hear him talking to someone in the background. He was laughing. I could only assume he was laughing at me.

"Who are you with?"

He didn't answer.

"Fine. You know what? I'm not staying in this house waiting for you."

"Fine by me. Go to Ranger." I again heard the voice in the background.

"Is that Terry Gilman with you?"

"That would fall under personal."

At this point I was ready to lose it. "You want to know what we argued about? I was jealous because I found out he's got a girlfriend."

"Awww, that's a sad story. I've got one. My wife loves another man and sleeps with him regularly."

The tears flooded my eyes. "Please, Joe. I love you. Please come home_, please_!"

"You know, the thing is, that really doesn't make me feel any better. I have to go." He disconnected before I could plead any further. I lay on the bed and cried. I was so tired, but I couldn't go to sleep. I was too distraught. After a while I stopped crying, but I lay quietly with my ear attuned to every sound. I was listening for the sound of his car pulling into the driveway. I must have dozed off because I woke to the sound of voices and the front door closing. I was afraid it was Joe leaving again. I flew out of the bed and down the stairs yelling "_Joe!_" Joe was standing in the living room, and he turned as I hit the bottom of the stairs. I was in a dead run at that point. I flung myself at him. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as the tears burst onto my cheeks.

"Please don't go," I pleaded.

"Would you be saying that if I slept with Terry Gilman?"

"I don't care who you slept with. You're mine and I'm not letting you go," I sniveled.

"Really? Well, hell! Let me go back and sleep with Terry Gilman."

"Joseph Morelli, you're not going anywhere!" I ranted.

He placed his hands on my waist. "I'm still really pissed at you."

"What do you want? Name it."

"Give Ranger his car back. Borrow the Buick."

"Done. I'll give it back tomorrow."

"And deal with Ranger's relationships."

"I'll try."

"Try real hard."

I brushed my fingers through his hair. "Do you still love me?"

"More than I should." He kissed my forehead. "Let's go to bed." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me up the stairs. I slid into the bed as he took of his clothes. As soon as his ass hit the sheets, I was on him. "Steph, I have to get up in five hours."

"What time is it?"

"Two." It was so unlike him to turn down sex. "Are you sure you didn't sleep with anyone?"

"I didn't say that. I asked if you'd be mad if I slept with Terry Gilman."

I sat up and turned on the light. "Who did you sleep with?"

"Well, it was an interesting evening. First, there was Terry. She made a beeline for me as soon as I came in the door. She made her usual play for me, but I didn't sleep with her. Then, there was the chick from the bank—you know…"

"Linda?"

"Yeah, that's her. She was pretty drunk. She kept asking me to give her a ride home, so she wouldn't get pulled over. So I did."

"You slept with Linda?"

"No, I drove her home. She kissed me though."

My voice raised an octave. "You kissed Linda from the bank?"

"No, she kissed me. She took me by surprise."

I rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed. I could feel my emotions building. I was fighting back the tears.

"Stephanie, I told her I was engaged to you and I had no intentions on cheating. She looked embarrassed."

"So, nothing happened?"

"That's not the end of the story."

I got off the bed. "How many girls hit on you?"

"A few." He paused to pull himself to a sitting position. "Before Linda deposited herself into the seat next to me, I was talking to a lady. She was…"

"What? She was what?"

He paused again. "She was beautiful."

"Great," I said with obvious tension in my voice.

"She followed me to Linda's place because I was driving Linda's car, and I had no way to get back to the club."

"You slept with her?"

"No," he said in a low voice.

"You're lying."

"I could have."

"You wanted to," I argued.

"I didn't."

"But you wanted to," I repeated.

"Stephanie, you're my wife. I love you. I don't want to be like my brother."

I began to cry.

"I didn't have to tell you any of this."

"Then why did you?"

"Because I wanted you to know—I wanted you to feel what it's like for me—how much it hurts knowing that you still have this—thing for Ranger."

"I'm sorry. It's just difficult because it's so fresh. Did you know that just before I found out I was pregnant, he asked me to stop seeing you?"

"You were going to break it off with me?"

"_No! Never! _But I think it was at that moment that I realized that you were the one. I knew I could walk away from him no matter how much it hurt, but I couldn't walk away from you. You're a part of me, Joe, and you probably have been since the night you took my virginity behind the cannoli case."

Joe hadn't kissed me since he came home. He pulled my hand until I sat on the bed. He traced my jaw with his finger. Then he leaned in to kiss me. That was when I tasted his breath. _Beer!_ I pulled away and bolted for the bathroom. I tried to control the convulsion, but the battle was quickly lost as I found myself slumped over the toilet puking. Joe was right behind me hold my hair.

"Are you all right?"

"I can't take the smell of beer."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

I was shaking when I got up. I felt weak. Joe helped me to the bed.

"I'll be right back."

He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He turned out the light and climbed into bed. He spooned me from behind. We were quiet for a few minutes. Suddenly, I remembered something that I had forgotten to ask him.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"The beautiful girl at the club. What was her name?"

"Anarosa."

12


	20. Chapter 20

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BURG!

(AND VIRGINIA BEACH)

For those of you who supported For the Love of Brynn. That is the greatest gift of all, Thank you!

RANGER EATS CROW

"Stephanie, wake up."

"Joe? What time is it?"

"It's seven. You need to get up."

"Why?"

"You know why. Hal told me he found two electronic devices in the house. There's no way in hell I am leaving you here with no protection."

"Where am I supposed to go?"

"Rangeman."

_Is he kidding me? _"I thought I was supposed to stay away from Ranger."

"Keep your clothes on and your lips at least two feet away from his, and we shouldn't have a problem. I have a laundry list of things for you to do today."

"You do?"

He shot me a look. "First, you are returning the Porsche. Tell him to give it to his new girlfriend."

Joe had no clue that the woman he found to be beautiful and Ranger's reported girlfriend were one and the same—and I was surely not about to tell him. The idea of sleeping with her to get back at Ranger, never mind me, might be a little too appealing.

"Okay, but how am I supposed to get the Buick?"

"I'm sure one of Ranger's guys will be able to give you a ride."

"Okay, I can find out why Tank was fired. I'll kill two birds with one stone," I replied with a smile of satisfaction on my face.

"I also need you to talk to Ranger about putting a security system into the house."

"Really, you think we need a security system?"

He didn't answer. He handed me a check. I looked at it. It was made out to Rangeman Enterprises. "This check's for a thousand dollars!"

"Tell him to draw up an invoice for the system and the labor to put it in. I'll cut him a check for the rest then."

"What if the system costs ten thousand dollars?"

"Then I guess we won't be going on a honeymoon."

"Joe!"

"Relax. Everything will work out. Oh—I was talking to my sister-in-law and she asked me when you are due. I told her the hospital said you were about eight weeks pregnant. I'm not even sure what the due date is. She asked me what your obstetrician said. I told her that as far as I know you haven't even been to the doctor."

I understood. "You want me to find a doctor and make an appointment."

"Yes."

"Okay, I can do that."

"Also, the invitations should be ready today. Do you think you could swing by and pick them up?"

"Anything else?"

"Can you pick up my dry cleaning?" He smiled.

"Seriously?"

"No. I'm kidding, but I do want you to take it easy today. Why don't you visit your sister and take her with you to check out some more wedding dresses?"

"Oh! I forgot. I took pictures on my phone. I wanted Mattie to see them to give me a guy's point of view."

"If nothing comes up, I should be home at a decent hour."

"Joe, are you still mad at me?"

"I'm beginning to get the feeling that I'm going to be spending a good part of my life mad at you."

"Today is the last day you can still bail on the marriage license," I reminded him.

"Not a chance, cupcake. Now, get up."

"You know we never had the chance to have great make-up sex," I said, as I threw the blanket off of me revealing my frumpy nightgown I had put on because Hal was in the house.

Joe looked at me. "Tempting, but no."

I let out a deep sigh and got up. I pulled the nightgown over my head. I turned around and Joe was staring at me.

"Yeah, definitely keep your clothes on around Ranger." He turned to go downstairs. "Oh, and tonight—don't make any plans."

I arrived at Rangeman just before eight. Joe followed me the whole way and beeped to me as I pulled into the parking garage located on the first floor of the building. I knew I was being watched as soon as I got out of the car. I waved and approached the elevators. I stopped on the fifth floor which was the epicenter of activity and the location of Ranger's office. When the elevator door opened, I stepped into the office area. I saw Woody first. He was sitting in front of his computer. I smiled at him. He barely acknowledged me. Cal appeared from the kitchen.

"Hey, Stephanie. I got you today. What's on the agenda?"

"I need to see Ranger."

"Um, he hasn't come down yet."

"I'm going up."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why? Isn't he alone?" I knew that Anarosa was out at the club last night trying to pick up my husband, so unless she came to him in the middle of the night, he would be alone—unless—maybe Anarosa wasn't his only conquest.

"I don't know if he's alone. That's none of my business."

"You know. You guys just kill me. I don't understand how all of you work together and yet you don't seem to give a shit about each other!" I ranted.

Woody stopped typing and pushed his chair back, so he could see me. I pointed at him. "You can't even fucking say hello!" I was aggravated already, and I hadn't even gotten to Ranger yet.

"Hello," he said, stoically. Then he disappeared behind his cubicle wall again.

I did an about face and got back on the elevator. I punched seven and the doors closed. I wasn't sure what I was walking into, but right now I wanted answers. I knocked but got no answer. I used my fob and let myself in. At first glance everything seemed to be in order. I entered the living room, and Ranger was sitting on the couch shirtless. He hadn't shaved. He had a bottle of tequila sitting on the coffee table. He was very relaxed. He didn't seem to notice that I had entered the room.

"Carlos?" I said cautiously.

"Babe." He was staring at the TV.

"Are you okay?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think. You've fired your best friend. You're sitting in your skivvies with a day old beard watching god knows what and drinking tequila."

"Yeah, some days are like that."

"Why did you fire Tank?"

"Why do you think I fired Tank?"

"I haven't got a clue and neither does he."

"There are rules when you work for me. I expect my team to keep their mouths shut when it comes to Rangeman and especially when it comes to my personal life."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He knows how I feel about you. What was he hoping to accomplish by telling you about Anarosa?"

"Oh my god! You fired him because you think he spilled the beans about you and the Latin bombshell going to Atlantic City?"

"Don't deny that he told you. No one else knew."

"Except maybe her sister, the waitress at Pino's, who was eyeing Tank like a piece of steak—who I talked to in the bathroom."

Ranger clicked off the TV. "Her sister?"

"I asked her if she knew you because I was trying to make Tank look important. I wanted her to know that Tank was your right hand man. She said you were 'muy caliente' and announced that her sister, Anarosa, goes out with you and you were taking her to A.C. this weekend. Tank had no idea that she and I even had a conversation."

He looked like he was in shock. "I've made a terrible mistake."

"Ya think? Why didn't you question him and at least give him the chance to defend himself? Why didn't you ask _me_ where I heard it?"

"I tried to get you to come here. You hung up on me," he said in his defense.

"Because I was…"

"Jealous?"

I swallowed hard. "Ranger, I…"

"It's not so easy, is it?"

"No, it's not."

"Look, I have no intentions on marrying, but I do have a sex drive that I need to satisfy. I go out with women—probably some of the most beautiful women on the east coast, but…"

"Why me, then?"

He looked confused by the question. "What?"

"If you can get women who are that beautiful, then why have you pursued me all these years?"

He stood up and approached me. His abs were tight and he looked hot—too hot. "Babe, never underestimate your beauty. Beyond that, you have the personality of a charming child. It's refreshing—your bumbling innocence."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

He ran the backside of his hand along my cheek. "Look, guys like me and Morelli—we know we're good looking. Gorgeous women are a dime a dozen out there." He placed his hand over my heart. "It's what's in here that makes a woman special. Morelli saw it, and so did I. If I wasn't in fear that some nutcase would take you out to gain revenge on me, I'd fight Morelli to the death for you."

My eyes filled with tears.

"I don't ever want to stop being a part of your life, Stephanie. Right now, there's a psycho out there who wants revenge against Morelli. I don't know if he wants you dead or if he just wants to humiliate Morelli by torturing you. I do know if he gets to you, I'll kill him."

"No. I don't want you to do jail time."

"I've done jail time before. It's not so bad."

"Carlos…" I rushed into his arms, and he held me tightly. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Sometimes I think that's what keeps me going," he answered softly.

Not only did he feel good, he smelled good, too. He released me, and I backed up before he got any ideas about kissing me. I was weak right now, and one kiss could be my downfall.

"Don't worry. I'm a man of my word. I'm not going to cross the line."

I smiled weakly. "I wasn't worried."

He smiled his brilliant smile. "Liar."

"What are you going to do about Tank?"

"I'm going to go to his house, beg his forgiveness, and pray he'll come back to work for me."

"Maybe you should give him a raise."

He raised his eyebrow. "You think that would help?"

"Incentive is always a good thing."

"I need to shower."

"Can I come with you?"

Ranger turned around and stared at me hard.

"Oh!" I felt my face burn hot. "I meant to Tank's—to help you talk him into coming back. Not the shower!"

My eyes fell to his boxers. He was sporting wood.

"Wait for me downstairs."

"Uh huh…" I bolted for the door. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I took the elevator to the fifth floor. My face was still rosy as I stepped off the elevator. I headed for the kitchen. Cal was hanging out eating an orange.

"What's the matter with you? You look like you just stuck your head in an oven."

"Nothing. I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?" It was a stupid question. There was always food prepared to eat in the kitchen. Ella was the perfect cook, maid, and housekeeper. Hell, she'd probably be the perfect mom. It made me wonder—_was it possible that Ella and her husband, Louis, were really Carlos's parents? Maybe he was adopted."_

I toasted myself a bagel with cream cheese and poured myself a cup of coffee.

Ranger entered the kitchen about a half hour later. He was clean shaven and wearing his usual Rangeman uniform. He still looked hot. It was going to be a real effort to get through this day.

"Good morning," Ranger said to the both of us. "Cal, you can work the Botelli building today. I will be with Stephanie."

_What? I don't want to spend the whole day with Ranger!_ I swallowed hard.

He turned to me. "I just need to do something in my office. I'll be ready in ten minutes. Does that meet with your approval?"

"Um, sure."

I paced the hallway between Woody's cubicle and the elevator as I waited for Ranger to appear. Woody looked nervous. Ranger finally exited his office with an envelope in hand. We took the elevator to the garage.

"I see you haven't destroyed my car yet."

"About that..."

"Don't tell me you've done something to the car."

"No. The car is fine. It's just that…"

"Morelli wants you to give it back."

"How did you know?"

"If I was Morelli, I'd make you give it back."

"He's not _making_ me give it back." I said in my defense.

He raised his eyebrow. "Babe."

"It's just that it was a loner and…"

"If I gave the car to you, would it make a difference?"

"No," I said meekly.

As we settled into the Porsche Cayenne, he reached under my chin and stroked my jaw with his thumb. He smiled.

We drove in silence for a bit.

"I just had a thought," he spike aloud.

"What?"

"Would you mind if I gave the Porsche to Tank as an incentive?"

"That would be a wonderful gesture!"

We arrived at Tank's apartment a little after nine. On the way in the building I felt a little nervous.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go."

"If you were Tank, would you come back?"

"I'm not Tank."

"Okay, if you were in Tank's position. Would you come back?"

He didn't answer. He took a deep breath. As we got to the door, he looked over at me. "I need you."

He knocked on the door. It took a minute before Tank opened the door.

"I can't talk now. I'm packing."

"Packing? No! You can't leave us!"

Ranger took my hand in his to silence me.

"Pierre, I owe you a huge apology. My I please come in for just a minute?"

Tank looked at me. "Please?"

He held the door open. Ranger was still holding my hand and he pulled me forward, so I would enter first. His apartment was surprisingly tastefully decorated. It was an older apartment building with wood floors. He had a beautiful oriental rug in the living room. The couch was a red, gold, and olive plaid and the tables were of maple. There was a burgundy recliner that faced the flat screen TV perched on an entertainment center in the corner of the room. The walls were white, but the curtains were golden. The whole room was rather nicely put together.

"Pierre, I am extremely embarrassed at my lack of trust. You have been my best friend for ten years. I have no excuse for the great injustice I have done to you."

"I just don't understand why."

Ranger swallowed. It was almost as if he were swallowing his pride. "You know the feelings I've had for Stephanie these past few years."

"I do," Tank answered.

"Although I entertain myself with assorted women, I have never been one to announce my endeavors. Stephanie confronted me about my intentions of taking Anarosa to Atlantic City. I jumped to conclusions and assumed it was you who told her."

"I didn't."

"I know that now."

"Why would you think I would betray you?"

"I don't know. I've been on edge ever since Stephanie and Morelli…" he stopped. Tank was not privy to the fact that we were already married.

I stepped forward. I pulled on the chain that held my wedding ring around my neck. "I'm Mrs. Morelli," I announced, as I produced the ring. "We were keeping it a secret because our parents would freak out if they knew we married without including them. We did it to take the pressure off of the whole planning of the ceremony. Carlos found out the day we did it."

"I still…" Ranger said and then stopped. It was difficult for him to admit his feelings for me even now.

"I know," Tank reassured him.

"I'm asking that you come back to work for Rangeman. You are a great asset to the company. I would like to offer you the Porsche as an incentive."

"Which one?"

"Which one do you want?"

"Well, I know you like your Turbo."

"It's yours."

"Carlos, I couldn't."

"I insist. Stephanie has given me back the Cayenne. I also wanted to offer you a new employment package." He handed Tank the envelope.

Tank opened the envelope and read the letter. He looked confused.

"You want to give me a raise?"

"I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either, Tank," I added.

"Take a few days to consider it," Ranger insisted.

"I was going to go to Miami to visit my family for a few days. My flight leaves in four hours."

"What about your cats?" I asked out of concern.

"My neighbor said she would feed them."

Ranger stepped forward. "You can inform me of your decision when you return from Florida."

"No, I want to come back."

"Good, Good." He thrust out his hand to shake on the deal. Tank took it willingly. Ranger pulled him into a manly hug and slapped him on the back. "I'll try to never make an assumption like that again."

Tank turned to me. "How did you find out about Anarosa?"

"Remember the waitress at Pino's who I said had the hots for you?"

"Yeah."

"She's Anarosa's sister."

"Wow. She doesn't look like her. Anarosa is…"

"I know—beautiful. It seems my husband got a good look…" I stopped. I was about to put my foot in my mouth. I didn't want to be the one to tell Ranger that his girlfriend was on the prowl.

Ranger turned to me. He cocked his head to one side. "You were saying?"

"Nothing."

"Babe."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You know that bumbling innocence I was talking about? Whatever you are feebly attempting to hide will come out. You know that, right?"

"Did you talk to Hal?"

"Not since yesterday afternoon."

"Hal stayed very late last night because Joe and I had an argument and he left. He was trying to make me jealous."

"Why would your husband be trying to make you jealous?" Tank asked.

I let out a deep sigh. "It's a long story. Anyway, he mentioned the fact that there was a beautiful woman that he could have slept with, and would have, if he wasn't married to me."

"Anarosa," Ranger surmised.

I looked at the floor. I had just basically destroyed his relationship with his new girlfriend.

"Babe, she's not my girlfriend. She's a beautiful lady that I am going to spend the weekend with. She doesn't have my heart. I told you, there's only one woman who's ever gotten to that place."

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. I turned to Tank. "So, do you need a ride to the airport?"

"Could you?"

I turned to Ranger.

"Sure, Newark?" Ranger asked.

"Yes."

"Hey? Where are your cats?"

"They are probably hiding. They're not great with strangers." He turned towards the kitchen. "_Stella!_" he called. "Stella, come here baby." A gray striped cat with a fluffy tail came sauntering into the living room. "Come here, girl." The cat rubbed up against Tank's legs. He bent over and scooped her into his arms. She seemed nervous at first, but Tank rubbed her neck and she relaxed. "Go ahead, you can pet her," he announced.

I pet her fur, and it was softer than any cat I had ever felt. "She's really soft—like a bunny."

"That's because her fur is very fine."

Another cat entered the living room and crouched near the doorway.

"That's Buster. He's the alpha male. He usually warms up to women, but he's never been crazy about males.

"He likes you though, right?"

"Yes, he likes me. I've raised him since he was a kitten. My other cat is the oldest. She's skittish. You probably won't see her."

Ranger interrupted our banter. "Why don't you get to packing. Stephanie and I will wait here for you."

"Sure, boss." Tank handed Stella to me. I sat on the couch, and she settled into my lap as I pet her. Tank turned before he left the room. "It feels good to call you boss again."

Ranger sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Don't you like cats?" I asked.

"I don't dislike them," he responded stoically. Ranger was busy checking the phone messages that he had obviously acquired while he was busy drinking his misery away. A beautiful long hair calico cat rounded the corner of the couch and jumped up on the armrest next to Ranger. He paid no attention to her.

"Carlos, pet her!" I ordered.

He ran his hand slowly down the length of her body. She responded by pushing her hind quarters upwards. She turned around to face him. He pet her again, and she started to purr.

"I think that pussy's got a thing for you," I joked.

"Yeah, it's a curse," he teased back.

Ten minutes later, Tank appeared carrying a suitcase. "I see you've met Princess Leah."

"Princess Leah?" I answered in surprise.

"I just call her Princess."

"Well, apparently Princess Leah is in love with Hans Solo here."

Ranger shot me a look. "Are we ready to go?" Ranger asked as he got off the couch.

"Yeah, I just need to leave my neighbor the key." Tank locked his door. Ranger and I stood in the hall while Tank gave his key to his next door neighbor, who turned out to be a black woman about my mother's age. Her name was Mrs. Johnson. Ranger let Tank drive, so he could do some business by phone in the backseat. It seemed like he checked in with every one of his Trenton employees and got the scoop on the last twenty-four hours. He must have sent out an e-mail announcing the reinstatement of Tank. A few of them asked about it. I heard Ranger say "Yes, it was a gross misunderstanding and a foolish mistake on my part. Tank is to be trusted one hundred percent." I saw Tank smile when Ranger repeated the same words to a second employee.

We pulled up to the airport. We were only able to double park just long enough for Tank to get his bags and get out. No time for long good-byes. I hugged Tank as Ranger pulled Tank's suitcase from the trunk.

"When are you coming back to us?" I asked as if he were family.

"I'll be gone for five days. I'll be back Monday," he replied.

Ranger took the driver's seat. I took the opportunity to check in with Joe.

He answered quickly. "Hey, sweetheart. I've been meaning to call you, but there was a murder this morning."

"Another dumpster murder?"

"No, this one was gang related. I didn't even have a chance to eat breakfast."

"You should have eaten at home."

"Does a pop-tart count?"

"You ate one of my pop-tarts?"

"Yeah, it was pretty disgusting. How do you eat that crap first thing in the morning?"

"What choice do I have when my husband won't cook me breakfast?"

"I thought _you_ were supposed to cook for _me_."

"If I'm cooking dinner then it should only be fair that you cook breakfast."

"I cooked the steaks _and_ the potatoes last night."

"That was one meal." I could see Ranger trying to hold back the smile.

"Fine, tonight I'll cook the whole meal."

"You promise?"

"I'll even serve you dessert."

"Mmmm. I like the sound of that. I like my dessert in that little pink outfit I got you for Valentine's Day." I didn't answer because I didn't want Ranger to know that the conversation had gone sexual. "Steph, did you ask Ranger about the alarm system?"

"No, I completely forgot. I'll ask him when I hang up."

"Are you still with him?"

"Yeah, we're on our way back from the airport."

"The airport?"

"Tank is going to Miami to visit his family for a few days. Ranger and I drove him there."

"What about Tank's job?"

"He's got his job back. I'll tell you all about it tonight."

"I thought you were going to meet up with your sister and go shopping?"

"I will when we get back. Right now, Ranger is my protection."

"Gee, that works out well for him, doesn't it?"

"Joe, are you trying to start an argument?"

"No, I have to go. I'll call you when I can."

"I love you."

"Yeah, I love you, too. Bye."

I was waiting for Ranger to make a comment, but he didn't.

I turned my attention to Ranger. "I forgot to tell you, Hal found a few recording devices in the house. Joe wants to know if you can put in an alarm system."

"Good alarms systems don't come cheap," Ranger replied.

"Joe gave me a check for a thousand dollars. He said if you provide him with an invoice, he'd cut you a check for the rest."

"I'll get Ramirez right on it."

"You mean Hector? He kinda scares me with all those tattoos."

"Do you want a security system or not?"

"Joe does."

"Well, before we install anything, I'd like to get my men in there to go over the place with a fine toothed comb."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem."

"Good."

It was quiet for a few minutes before Ranger broke the silence.

"Tank told me about your visit to Kaiser's place."

"It was creepy."

"This guy worries me. I'm glad Morelli is taking it seriously."

"Yeah."

It was quiet again until we neared the exit for Trenton.

"So what are your plans Princess Leah?"

"For what?

"For the rest of the day?"

"Are you staying with me?"

"It wouldn't hurt to see what my guys are up against when spending a day with you."

"Well, I need to go to my sister's. I need to make an appointment with an obstetrician, and then I guess I was going to drag her with me to look at dresses for the wedding."

"You're not going to work today?"

"Crap! I forgot to call Mattie!"

I grabbed my phone and dialed Mattie. He picked it up after three rings.

"What up, gorgeous?"

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call you."

"It's okay. I woke up this morning and realized I didn't have any clean clothes. I'm at my house doing all my laundry. Joanna's at work. It beats standing in a dank basement feeding quarters into a machine. Plus I get to watch my forty two inch flat screen TV."

"I think I'm going to play hooky today. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure. I'll catch up with you tomorrow around nine?"

"How about eight-thirty?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, Joe has to be at work at eight, and he doesn't want me home alone."

"Eight-thirty, then."

I disconnected.

"Are you hungry?" Ranger asked.

I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was noon. "I could eat."

Ranger exited on the burg side of town, "Pino's?"

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing, why?" he answered.

"That's where Anarosa's sister works," I pointed out.

"That's where Anarosa works," he stated.

"No! I don't want to go there!"

"Why?"

"I don't want to meet her!"

"Why?' he asked again.

"Look at me! I don't have any make-up on, and I'm dressed like a bag lady!"

"And?"

"And she's gorgeous! I don't want you to see me next to her!"

He burst out laughing.

"This is not funny!" I lamented.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm totally serious!"

He sighed. "What if I take you home, so you can primp?"

"How about we just go somewhere else for lunch?"

"I have to meet someone there at twelve-thirty."

"Fine, take me home."

Ranger took me to the house. I let Bob out in the back yard. Ranger waited in the living room while I went upstairs to beautify. I changed into tighter jeans, threw on a pair of high heeled boots, and changed my top to one that showed a whole lot more cleavage. My ring wouldn't stay concealed in my shirt since it was so low cut, so I stuck it with the chain in my front pocket. I did a full face makeover like I was going out to the club—smoky eyes with lots of mascara and red lipstick that screamed siren.

I descended the stairs. Ranger was again messing with his phone. He looked up briefly and then back at his phone. Then he looked at me again. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"No, I'm just trying to measure up."

He rose from the couch and stared at my breasts. "You have no idea how much restraint it is taking to not throw you on the couch and have my way with you."

My eyes lit up because I was hoping I looked that good. "You mean it?"

He pulled me into his arms. He drew his face just inches from mine. I could smell the sweetness of his breath. I felt my nipples harden as they pressed up against his chest. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he whispered.


	21. Chapter 21

Ranger took me to the house. I let Bob out in the back yard. Ranger waited in the living room while I went upstairs to beautify. I changed into tighter jeans, threw on a pair of high heeled boots, and changed my top to one that showed a whole lot more cleavage. My ring wouldn't stay concealed in my shirt since it was so low cut, so I stuck it with the chain in my front pocket. I did a full face makeover like I was going out to the club—smoky eyes with lots of mascara and red lipstick that screamed siren.

I descended the stairs. Ranger was again messing with his phone. He looked up briefly and then back at his phone. Then he looked at me again. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"No, I'm just trying to measure up."

He rose from the couch and stared at my breasts. "You have no idea how much restraint it is taking to not throw you on the couch and have my way with you."

My eyes lit up because I was hoping I looked that good. "You mean it?"

He pulled me into his arms. He drew his face just inches from mine. I could smell the sweetness of his breath. I felt my nipples harden as they pressed up against his chest. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he whispered.

**LUCKY RANGER, UNLUCKY ME**

_Yes! No! Shit! _"I can't," I said, as I turned my head away.

"Can't—or won't?" he pressed.

"I won't."

He released me. "Too bad. I would have been willing to miss my meeting if you had said yes."

"Thank you for respecting my wishes."

"Babe, I've never forced you into bed. I'm not about to start now. Get your dog in and let's go to lunch," he said calmly.

He followed me out the door. We walked to the car, and he held my door open for me. He angled his way into the driver's seat and let out a big sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something about those jeans."

"They're a little tight," I confessed.

"That's it."

"Do you think I should take them off?" I said, as I realized that I'd be eating Pino's food.

Ranger shot me a look. It was pure evil.

"Oh!" I said, as I realized his intent. "Just drive."

"What time is Morelli coming home tonight?"

"Early," I replied, in the hopes of discouraging him.

"What time?" he reiterated.

"Ranger, it's not going to happen," I said flatly.

"Babe, I want to show your husband the options we have for security systems."

"Oh!" My face grew hot.

Ranger glanced over at me and grinned. "Still refreshing."

We arrived at Pino's. Ranger met me as I got out of the Porsche. He offered me his arm. I thought it was odd that he would walk into the establishment where his girlfriend worked with me on his arm. Personally, I didn't care. I liked the fact that she'd see me on his arm. What I didn't take into account was the implications on my side, being an engaged woman. After all, this was a cop hangout.

Ranger sat with his back to the wall in the booth just as Tank had done. My ass barely hit the seat before a beautiful Latino waitress with dyed auburn locks was upon us.

"Chulo!" she trilled. "It's so good to see you. I called you last night. Quien es?" She practically shoved her silicone breasts in his face.

Ranger smiled and took my hand in his. "Anarosa, I'd like you to meet a very close friend of mine. _This_—is Stephanie."

"Ahhh—the girl you protect."

"Yes, she is engaged to a police officer. Maybe you know him. His name is Joe Morelli."

Her eyes got wide for a moment, and then she spoke calmly. "He's a regular here," she spoke nonchalantly. "What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll take a diet coke." He gestured to me. "Babe?"

"Um—Unsweet tea with lemon."

She gave me an icy stare and walked away.

"Gee, is there anything about her that's real?" I growled sarcastically.

"I'm pretty sure the accent's real," he joked.

I smiled. "I still love you, you know that?"

"I guessed that back at the house."

"What are you talking about? I said no to your advances."

"True, but you wanted to say yes."

He was right. If I could, I'd continue to bed them both, but it was time I settled down, and I knew I'd made the right decision choosing Joe.

Anarosa returned with our drinks and asked if we were ready to order. I ordered a cheese steak with the works. Ranger gave me a hard stare in front of Anarosa.

"Carlos, don't look at me like that."

"Have you got your nausea under control?" he said with an air of superiority.

"I've been with you all morning. Have I thrown up?"

"You haven't eaten anything _to _throw up."

"Yes, I did. I had a bagel and cream cheese while you were taking your shower."

Anarosa shot me a dirty look. "Do you want the cheese steak or not?"

"Yes, did you think _Chulo _was going to change my mind?" I snapped.

A chuckle burst forth from Ranger's lips. Anarosa gave him an even dirtier look.

"I'm sorry," he said reeling in the smile. "I'll have tuna—easy mayo on wheat. Hold the chips. Instead, I'll take a side salad with low fat Italian dressing."

Anarosa jotted down the order. "Anything else?"

"How about a smile?"

She grimaced and walked away.

"I think she's pissed off," I remarked.

"Ahh, she'll get over it. Besides your concern should be with your husband, who's headed this way and moving in pretty quickly."

"Joe?" I turned to see him lumbering toward us. I scooted out of the seat. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I came in to have lunch. I eat here pretty frequently. What's your excuse?"

"Ranger said he had to meet someone here."

"What's that all over your face?"

"What?" I hadn't even eaten yet. _Don't tell me I've already got something on my face._

"At what point did you decide to get all dolled up for your lover?"

"It wasn't for him."

"Then what was it for?"

I folded my arms over my chest. "I didn't want to look like a leper next to the _beautiful _Anarosa."

"How did you know she even worked here?"

"A little birdie told me. Is that why you're here?" I snapped.

"You're going to pull the jealousy card on _me_?"

"You're the one who told me you _could_ have slept with her if you wanted to. Maybe you're trying to keep your options open."

Joe turned to Ranger who was sitting quietly at the table texting someone on his phone. "Will you excuse us for a minute?"

"Sure, no problem."

Joe grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me out of the restaurant and around to the side of the building. There was a cold wind whipping in from the north. He turned to me and released my wrist. "First of all, I have no options to keep open. I chose you. You are the only woman I want to be with."

"But look at her!" I lamented.

"I don't want to look at her. I want to look at you! Jesus, Stephanie!"

"Okay! Look at me, then."

"Those jeans are tight."

"I know. I'm getting fat."

He leaned up against me. He didn't have to pull on my shirt to see my breasts. They were already out there. Joe brushed his lips across my neck. "Maybe we can go to my car, and I can help you out of those jeans."

"Joe, I have cheese steak coming."

"You're killing me, you know that?" He grabbed my hand and placed it on his hard-on. "You see what you do to me?"

_Oh boy…_

"I promise you can screw me tonight until the cows come home."

"Can I at least get a decent kiss?"

"Bring it."

He was still leaning against me. He placed his hand on my neck. It looked like he might choke me if he had the mind to. His lips touched mine, and I couldn't feel the cold anymore. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, and I suddenly had the urge to take him up on his offer of sex in the car. His tongue darted in and out of my mouth as he tasted my lips over and over again. I couldn't move my head because he had control of my neck. I started to feel a little dizzy. Joe was losing control.

"Joe," I whispered.

"What?" he said as he continued to kiss me. I realized that he never got a piece of me last night or this morning.

"We have to stop."

"Why?" he murmured as he kissed my collarbone.

"We're in a parking lot, and two squad cars just pulled in. Do you want them to see you jumping your fiancée in broad daylight?"

He stopped and leaned his forehead on my shoulder. I took his hand and led him back into the restaurant. I saw a man I didn't recognize sitting with Ranger. My cheese steak was sitting on the table next to Ranger. I approached him, and he noticed me coming.

"Stephanie, if you'd like to take your lunch and sit with your fiancé while I finish my meeting…"

"Yes, I'd like that. I'm sorry I interrupted."

The man smiled at me. "No, no, little lady. I'm sorry to barge in on your lunch."

"Ranger informed me of the meeting, so it comes as no surprise."

I picked up my plate and handed it to Joe. Ranger handed me my drink. I did an about face and followed Joe to the counter. We sat with our backs to Ranger and the unidentified man.

"Who's that?" Joe asked.

"Beats me. He just said he had a meeting. He didn't elaborate with whom."

Joe eyeballed my plate. "That cheese steak looks good."

"Touch it and die, cop!"

"You know, you might want to watch what you eat. You don't want to gain fifty pounds. Then how would you compete with the likes of Anarosa?"

I smacked him. "You take that back!"

"Give me a bite of your sandwich, and I'll take it back."

"You're a dick!"

He wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me toward him, so he could kiss my forehead. "Yeah, but I'm a lovable dick." He picked up half of my sandwich and took a hearty bite. He was chewing as he spoke. "Besides, I wouldn't let you get fat. I'd drag your ass to the gym."

A different waitress other than Anarosa took Joe's order at the counter. She looked at me suspiciously since I already had food. I felt like I owed her an explanation.

"I was sitting at the booth over there, and my fiancé came in, so I moved."

Joe ordered a chicken parmesan sandwich and a mountain dew. He folded his arms on the counter and stared at my breasts.

"They're not as big as Anarosa's," I said flatly.

"Yeah, but they're real, and the best part is they're mine. Which reminds me, you've got all that cleavage showing. Where's your wedding ring?"

"It's in my pocket."

"I wouldn't think you couldn't fit anything into those pockets."

I stood up and produced the ring. Joe nodded his satisfaction, and I placed it back into my pocket.

I finished my sandwich with Joe's help, and the waitress brought his order.

"I need to call Valerie and see if she's available this afternoon."

Joe nodded as he munched on fries.

Val answered quickly. "I'm coming!" she said abruptly.

"Val?"

"Oh, Stephanie. I'm sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm trying to get to Mom's. She's watching Lisa and the baby, so I can get my nails done."

"Oh, I thought maybe you'd like to come shopping with me to look for a wedding gown."

"Oh my God, yes!"

"I went with Mom the other day, and I found a few I liked, but I really need your opinion. Plus, we could look for bridesmaids gowns, too."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No. I'll meet you at Mom's. I'm at Pino's with Joe, but Ranger is my bodyguard for the day, so…"

"Bodyguard? Why do you need a bodyguard?"

"It's just a precautionary measure. Joe's worried about someone who's been sort of harassing me."

"Is he coming with us?"

"I don't know. Since I'm with you, I don't know that I'd need a bodyguard. I honestly don't think this guy would do anything unless he caught me alone."

Ranger came over to where Joe and I were sitting.

"Val, let me go. I'll meet you at Mom's in a bit."

"Okay. I'm so excited!"

I disconnected. "So, I'm at your disposal. What are we doing?" Ranger asked.

"I'm going to try on about twenty wedding dresses. Is that something you want to do?"

"Honestly, shopping for a dress is not exactly high on my list of favorite things to do, but considering the model…"

Joe wiped his mouth with a napkin. "How about this? You take Stephanie to her mother's, so she can go shopping with Valerie. I think she'll be okay. I'll give you the key to my place. You can take your guys over there to install the security system."

"I'm not sure which system you're interested in. I have three that I think will do the trick, but they range in price and have different functionalities. Do you want a system that is linked into Rangeman? Do you want one that will set off an alarm? Do you want one that will alert the police?"

"I want the one that will be most effective to keep Stephanie safe."

"Well, to be quite honest, Rangeman will respond a hell of a lot quicker than the Trenton police department. Do you have an hour? You could come down to my office, and I'll show you what I've got. Each one has a powerpoint presentation that takes about ten minutes to see."

"Joe looked at his watch. Okay, but let's do this thing now."

"I'll meet you back at my place. I should be set up by the time you drop Stephanie off."

Joe summoned the waitress. Ranger moved towards me. He hugged me probably just a little longer than he should have. "It's been an interesting morning—not at all like I pictured it. You don't even have slop on you."

"I'll see you soon. Have fun in Atlantic City."

"Entertainment, that's the goal."

Joe gave me a queer look as Ranger departed. He didn't even stop to say good-bye to Anarosa. He just gave her a little wave at the door.

"What was that about?"

"He's stressed. He says he's going away to A.C. for a little R & R this weekend."

On the way to my mother's house, I told Joe the story about Tank. I left out the part where I barged in on Ranger sitting in his boxers and the parts with the sexual innuendo. Joe was on edge when it came to Ranger already. The last thing I needed was for the two of them to duke it out. He was very interested in the fact that Anarosa was Ranger's supposed girlfriend.

"She's not his girlfriend, exactly. Ranger doesn't really do relationships."

"You told me that just before you found out you were pregnant, he asked you to stop seeing me. Sounds like he was about to make it into a relationship to me."

"And we'd been intimate for how long?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell _me_?"

"Joe! Things really only heated up in this last year because it seemed like you weren't ever going to take the next step."

"And that's my fault?"

"You could have asked me!"

"I asked you to move in with me like five times!"

"Why buy the cow when the milk is free?"

Joe shook his head in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter now. You're my husband, and if you don't bail in the next twenty-four hours, you're stuck with me."

Joe chucked a U-turn in the middle of the block. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm headed to courthouse. A lifetime sentence with you? What was I thinking?"

"You don't want to be married to me?" I croaked.

Joe wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to him. "After five years of putting up with your shit, do you think I'd just give you up?"

"I've put up with your shit, too."

"My shit smells like roses next to your shit."

I couldn't argue with him. Joe turned left and went the back way to my mother's. Valerie was already there. Joe walked me in. My mother hugged Joe. She didn't hug me.

"I'm making ham for dinner. You two should come."

I looked at Joe.

"Yeah, I think we can make it. Stephanie was supposed to cook me dinner, but I'm kinda sick of peanut butter."

I smacked him in the shoulder. "Jerk!"

He smiled. "I love you, cupcake. Try to stay out of trouble."

Mom had the baby in her arms and Lisa was on the couch watching Dora the Explorer. Grandma entered the living room wearing her coat. "I heard we're going shopping for dresses."

I looked at Val.

"Mom begged me to take her with us. Grandma and Dad still aren't on the best terms."

"Fine," I sighed. "Where _is_ dad?"

"He went to pick up Angie and Mary Alice from school."

"Okay, so we can go?"

"Yes," my mother replied. "But please, make sure you're back by six."

We settled into Val's SUV. "I meant to ask you. How is Mary Alice these days?"

"She's all girl. On Saturdays, the three of us play Barbie, and I put make-up on the girls and do their hair real pretty. She doesn't think she's ugly anymore."

"That's sweet."

"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know. On the one hand, it would be nice to have a little girl to dress up real pretty, and I know Joe wants a girl."

"He told you that?"

"No, but every time we are near a little girl, he gets—sweet. On the other hand, I would love to have a little Joey that I could love. Joe was so cute even when he was eight years old."

"I remember him as being the terror of the neighborhood," Val replied.

"At least he's not a clown," I shot back.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Maybe you'll have twins. Have they done an ultrasound on you yet?"

"No, shit! I'm supposed to make an appointment today. It's on my list of things Joe wanted me to accomplish today!"

"Joe has a list of things you had to do today?"

"Yes."

"Is he your fiancé or your boss?"

"Shut up."

"I would never let Albert tell me what to do."

"I'm not going to get into an Albert versus Joe discussion with you. Let's just shop." The truth was I did not want to trash my sister's husband. I wouldn't even sleep with that man, never mind marry him.

"Would you help me make my appointment?"

"Sure. My gynecologist was a woman. I didn't want a man poking around in my private areas. She hooked me up with a female obstetrician."

"I don't have a gynecologist."

"Don't you get a pap smear?"

"Yeah, but my PCP does it when he does my yearly physical."

"Ew! Creepy old Dr. Brown?"

"Hell, no. I see Dr. Sardelis. He's Greek and pretty hot."

"What if you get an infection? Do you want a hot doctor looking at your private parts? I'd rather have old Dr. Brown down there."

"Are you going to call your obstetrician or not?"

Val dialed the number and handed me the phone. I spoke to a receptionist named Jennifer at Bynum Obstetrics. I made an appointment for Monday afternoon. She asked that I come in thirty minutes early to fill out paperwork. _Thirty minutes? Oh boy…_

Grandma was quiet in the back seat of the car. "What are you doing, Grandma?"

"I'm texting my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?" Val asked.

"You know how to text?" I asked.

"Yes, I know how to text. Moondog taught me."

"When did you see Moondog?"

"We have a standing lunch date on Tuesdays. He took me to upgrade my phone and taught me how to use it."

"How is he doing?"

"He's working in a sex shop over on Elmwood Ave. He even gave me some flavored oil to use with my boyfriend."

Val interrupted. "Who is this boyfriend?"

"His name is Carl. He's a widow like me, and he lives in his own place, so I can go to his place and have my afternoon delight, and your father can't do nothin' about it."

"Grandma! You're too old to do that stuff!" Valerie scolded.

"No she's not! I hope when I'm her age, me and Joe are still screwing like bunnies."

"That's disgusting," Valerie said, as she rolled her eyes.

"Sex with Joe is so not disgusting." I liked teasing my sister. I leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. "Tonight, I'm going to put on my sexy pink lace bra and matching underwear and I'm going to get on my knees and suck on his magnificent dick like a hooker and then…"

"EW! Shut up!"

Grandma started to laugh. "Valerie, if your husband was as hot as Joe Morelli, you'd be on your knees, too. That man is sexy."

"Grandma!" Valerie scolded.

"You want to borrow my Love Potion number nine? It's flavored."

"No thanks, Grandma. Joe smells heavenly, and he tastes even better."

"If you two don't stop talking about sex, I'm going to turn around!"

"You're such a prude!" Grandma teased.

We got to the bridal shop, and I tried on the dresses that I liked from the previous trip with mom. I was in the dressing room trying on another dress when Val came to me holding another gown.

"Try this one on," she ordered.

"Not another one!" I moaned.

"Just try it!" She opened the door and handed me a dress. It was exquisite. The dress was made of silk with lace overlay. The front of the gown had a plunging neckline. It was long sleeved and the end of the sleeves came to a point on the back of my hand. The bodice fit tightly on the upper part of my body and flared out just below where the plunging neckline ended. It was very pretty. But I was afraid my breasts would fall out of it if I moved the wrong way. I stepped from the dressing room, and Val's mouth fell open. Even Grandma, who was busy texting her life story to Carl, did a double take when she saw me.

"Oh my God! Stephanie! That's the dress!"

"My boobs will fall out!"

"We'll tape them in. That's what the stars do."

"I don't know. You don't think it's too…"

"Hot? Shit. Joe loves your boobs. He will flip out when he sees you in this dress. Call Connie. Tell her to come. She'll agree. I swear!"

Val ripped Grandma's phone away from her.

"Hey!" Grandma bellowed.

Val handed me the phone. "Call her."

I punched in the number.

"Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, Connie speaking."

"Hey, Connie."

"What happened to you today? I called you, and you didn't answer. Then I called Mattie, and he didn't answer."

"We played hooky."

"Together?"

I chuckled. "No, he's at his home in the suburbs doing his laundry and taking a 'me' day. I've been running around. I'm at the bridal shop. Val found a dress she thinks is perfect. I like it, but…"

"Is it too expensive?"

"No—I don't know. It's kind of revealing. Would you come here and give me your opinion?"

"Where are you?"

"David's Bridal. Where else?"

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." She disconnected.

I looked at Valerie. "She's coming."

"Well, we can check out bride's maid's dresses while we wait."

"What colors are you leaning towards?"

"Well, it's fall, so I thought about autumn leaves. You know—reds, golds, or browns."

"Okay. Grandma, you want to help look?"

"Do I get a dress?"

"You won't get a bride's maid's dress, but you can get a dress suitable for the mother of the bride."

We started sifting through the hundreds of dresses. A sales clerk approached me.

"Miss, you'll have to take that dress off while you're searching for other dresses."

"I'm waiting for someone to get here to get her opinion on the dress."

"Yes, well, you can put it back on when she gets here."

I was getting a little perturbed. "What's the big deal? It's not like I'm eating."

"No, ma'am, but that's imported Italian lace. If you sweat, you'll ruin the gown. Are you wearing shields?"

"Do I look like I'm wearing shields?" I hissed.

"Just take off the dress until Connie gets here," Val ordered in an effort to appease the sakes clerk.

"Fine!" I stripped out of the dress in the middle of the aisle. I was standing in only my panties.

"Ma'am! Please! You need to put something on!" she said horrified.

"You're the one who told me to take the dress off! It's not like there's anyone else in here, is there?"

"Ahem."

I spun around and Ranger was standing there. He was wearing a big, toothy grin. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"Carlos!" I pulled the nearest gown off the rack and held it up in front of me. If there was ever a time I needed dress shields, it was now. I could feel the sweat beading on my entire body. "What are you doing here?"

"After the meeting with you fiancé, I got in my car and realized that you left your phone in my car. The bug in your purse led me straight to you."

"You bugged my purse?"

"Babe."

"Give me my phone."

"Please," he goaded.

"Please."

Ranger reached into his pocket and produced my phone. Val was standing in a state of shock. Grandma strolled up to Ranger. "I could take my clothes off if you want."

The clerk spoke up. "No one is taking off their clothes unless it's in the dressing room!" She turned to me. "Would you please put some clothes on!"

"Would you like some help?" Ranger asked as I walked away from him in my red lace panties still clutching the bride's maid dress to my chest. "You know the rear view is as good as the front view."

I turned to him. "Don't you have someplace to go?"

"I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure."

Valerie finally found her voice. "No, stay! You are the perfect person to tell Stephanie that this is the dress!"

"She's wearing orange?" He said referring to the pumpkin colored bride's maid dress I used to shield myself from him.

I entered the dressing room and threw on my shirt and my pants, omitting the bra since I would only have to take it off again when Connie arrived. I exited the dressing room, and everyone was standing in a circle talking about the dress. Once again, Ranger's eyes went directly to my breasts. I folded my arms over my chest.

"You know, you never told me shopping for a wedding dress would be this much fun. This is like soft porn."

"The only reason I'm letting you stay is, so you can tell me the truth about the dress."

A minute later, Connie entered the shop with Lula in tow.

"Why didn't you tell me you were shopping for a dress? I need to find the perfect dress. It should be pink, don't you think?" Lula squawked.

"No pink!" I said adamantly.

"Why don't you go try on the dress, so Ranger can go about his business," Val suggested.

"Sure."

I tracked down the clerk who took the dress from me. "Can I have the dress? Everyone is here who needs to see the dress."

"Are you going to let your fiancé see you in the dress?" she asked referring to Ranger.

"He's not my fiancé. He's…." I was searching for the right words. "He's my ex."

"Oh," she sounded almost pleased.

She carried the dress to the dressing room and hung it on the hook. "I'll be right outside if you need me." _Where the hell was she before Ranger showed up? _I slid into the dress and exited the dressing room. Everyone was standing in a line, but it was Ranger's eyes that I sought for approval.

The answer I got certainly wasn't what I expected.

"I have to go," he said abruptly.

"Carlos!"

He turned and headed for the door. I took off running after him. I got in front of him. "What's the matter? Don't you like the dress?"

"The dress is fine," he replied.

"Then what is it? Is there some kind of emergency?"

"Babe, you look like an erotic angel. I'm starting to regret my decisions regarding you."

"Oh, I thought…"

"Look, I'm happy that you're happy. Get the dress."

"You think I should?"

"Absolutely." He forced a smile, but I could see his pain.

"Bye—thanks for returning my phone," I said with sincerity.

I returned to the girls. "He thinks I should get the dress."

"Good. I agree," Connie answered. Lula was missing. She was off looking for the perfect bride's maid dress with Grandma. "How much is the dress?"

"I don't know." I looked at the clerk.

She looked at the tag on the sleeve. "I'll check." She left us standing there and went to the counter and sifted through a big book. She returned with the book in hand. "Thirty two hundred dollars—and that includes alterations."

My eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"

"I told you. It's Italian lace—very chic."

I turned to Valerie. "That's three times what I allotted myself for a dress!"

"Maybe you should talk to Joe about it."

"No. He's already tapped out with this alarm system."

"What alarm system?" Valerie asked.

"The one for my protection."

"I think an alarm system is a great idea," Connie added.

I handed the dress back to the clerk. "Sorry, I should have looked at the price first."

"We'll find another dress," Val assured me. I had gotten excited about the dress and now even the dresses that me and my mother had picked out seemed subpar.

I sighed deeply. "Let's just see if we can find some bride's maid dresses since you're all here."

"What about your wedding dress?" Val asked.

"We can look somewhere else this weekend."

The girls had a blast looking for dresses. I was subdued. When we finally left, my two bridesmaids and my matron of honor had found burgundy dresses that they agreed upon. I was just happy that Lula settled on something other than pink.

"You should ask Joe for the money," Val suggested.

"I'm not going to ask him. We can't afford it—and I don't want you to bring it up. Do you got that?"

"Sure."

We arrived just in time for dinner. Joe wasn't there.

"Where is Joseph? He's late," my mother scolded.

"I don't know. I'll call him." I dialed his number. It went to voice mail. "He didn't answer."

"Well, I guess we should eat," my mother said sullenly.

We sat down to eat. I was down in the dumps. Not only did I not get the dress that I wanted, but my ex-lover managed to see me practically naked, and my husband was M.I.A.

Joe finally entered as we were finishing our dinner. He was carrying a garment bag.

"Joe, where were you?"

"I got a call from your boyfriend."

"What are you talking about?"

"It seems he got a call from Connie. She asked him to purchase a dress for you."

My eyes got wide. "No, she didn't."

"It seems that you told her you didn't want to approach me on the subject because you said we couldn't afford it. He called me and offered to buy the dress for you."

"He didn't."

"No. I bought the dress. You had better check it. All I knew was that it was the dress with the Italian lace. I haven't seen it. She could have stuck a bathrobe in there for all I know."

"Joe! Thank you!"

"Remember when I said earlier that I'll probably spend the rest of my life mad at you?"

"I didn't ask you to buy it," I said in my defense.

"No, you didn't, but you should have. Stephanie, if something like a wedding dress means that much to you, I don't want to hear about it through the grapevine."

"But it's so expensive."

"So, we'll go to Aruba instead of Maui. I just want you to be happy."

"Awwww!" Valerie crooned.

"I'm sorry." I felt like a scolded child.

Joe stepped forward and kissed my forehead. "All I ask is that you communicate with me."

My mother interrupted our moment. "Stephanie, take the dress upstairs. Joseph, sit down, so I can feed you."

I took my dress upstairs and opened the garment bag. It was the right dress. Val came up behind me. "Try it on, so Mom can see it."

I thought it was a good idea. Besides, I wanted to make sure the dress was still pristine.

"_Mom!_" Valerie called down the stairs. "Come on up and see Stephanie in the dress!"

My mother trudged up the stairs. She entered the bedroom and as soon as she laid eyes on me, she covered her mouth with her hands.

"You don't like it?" I said, fearful that my mother would hate it.

"You look beautiful," she croaked. "You look like a sexy angel!"

Valerie clapped her hands. "I know, right? Joe is going to love it!"

"But it costs so much!" I lamented.

"So what? You only get married once!" Valerie trilled.

I shot a look at Valerie. "Okay, you only marry a Morelli once."

_If she only knew._

"How expensive was the dress?" my mother asked.

"It's imported Italian lace!" Valerie exclaimed.

"How much?" my mother reiterated.

"Thirty-two hundred," I said meekly.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" She made a sign of the cross. "That man must really love you. Take the dress off before you drool on it or something."

"Mom." I wanted to make sure she didn't tell Joe how she felt. She ignored me and turned to go. "_Mom!_"

"What?"

"Don't make Joe feel bad for paying so much. I didn't ask him to buy the dress. He did it on his own. Just tell him that he made his bride very happy."

She turned around and stared at me. "You _do_ look beautiful in that dress."

By the time I got downstairs, Joe was finished eating. My mother took his plate from him, and I took the opportunity to sit in his lap. Joe wrapped his arms around my waist and stared at my breasts.

"Would you please not stare at her breasts like that?" my mother pleaded.

"I like your daughter's breasts. It's my favorite part of her," Joe replied.

"Gee, and I thought it was my sparkling wit and my love of adventure."

"Honestly, I could do without your love of adventure."

"Well, if it wasn't for my love of adventure, the train never would have left the station."

"What on earth are you two talking about?"

Joe blushed. I thought it was cute.

"I was talking about when Joe first fell in love with me. We were playing with his train in his garage when we were just kids."

Valerie bounced in from the kitchen. "Are we going to discuss the food for the wedding?"

"That's a great idea!" Joe said obviously grateful to segue away from the train conversation.

My mother, Val, Joe, and I sat down at the table and as it turned out, we couldn't agree on anything. Finally, Joe made an executive decision. "Tomorrow, I'll call the caterers and see if there is a date and time when the four of us can go and maybe sample some of the foods they offer."

I chimed in. "I like that idea!"

Joe turned to me and grinned. "Of course _you_ think it's a good idea. That just means you don't have to cook—again!"

"Shut up!" I smacked him in the head.

Joe grabbed me around the waist and hauled me into his lap. "Let's go home and I'll give you something you can slap around."

"Joseph!" my mother screeched.

Joe was horny and it was evident in the liberties he was taking in front of my mother. We headed home. We got home just a little after nine. Bob was thrilled to get out of the house to do his business. With all of his bad traits, I had to admit, Bob was good at holding his bowels until we got home. Cleaning up his throw-up was nothing compared to the amount of excrement Bob deposited on the lawn every day. If he crapped in the house, there was a good chance Joe would be cleaning up my throw-up with it.

I climbed the stairs and rifled through the dresser drawer for the pink bra and panties that Joe had mentioned earlier in the day. When he entered the bedroom, I was lying seductively on the bed.

"I've been waiting for this all day," he declared.

Joe stripped down and slid across the bed. He buried his face in my breasts. He proceeded to kiss my body as he stripped off the bra. After spending an inordinate amount of time fondling my breasts before he moved to parts further below. He kissed my belly and slid his hand between my thighs. He moved back to my lips and his tongue caressed mine as his fingers did their magic. I was stroking his penis as he was stroking my labia. Before long, I was pulling him on top of me, and he took his time teasing me with his dick without penetrating me until I was begging him to ram it home. He finally pushed his way into me, and it felt great. He was in full control as he pinned my wrists behind my head. He continued to kiss my lips, my neck, and my breasts as he pumped in and out of me in a rhythmic motion. When he finally erupted inside of me, I let out a sigh of pleasure. He rolled to his back and pulled me into his arms.

"Sweetheart?"

"Hmmm?"

"Where's your wedding ring?"

"In my pants pocket."

"I wish you would wear it."

I climbed out of the bed and picked up my pants off the floor. I checked both pockets. Nothing. "Maybe I put it in my purse." I grabbed my purse off the chair and began to rifle through it. My heart started to thump in my chest as I realized that the ring wasn't there. I looked at Joe, and my eyes pooled with tears.

"It's gone!"

14


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry this is a day late. It's been a busy week. I do want to thank Bree P., whoever you are, for the review for 'For the Love of Brynn' on the kindle side of Amazon. I appreciate your kind words. I'd also like to thank the new readers to this story who are placing it in your favorites even though you are Ranger fans. That means a lot to me. I love all of you!**

BITE THE BULLET

"What do you mean, it's gone?" Joe said sternly.

"It's not in my pocket! It must have fallen out somewhere!"

"Did you check the floor?"

I fell to my knees and began searching through the pile of clothing that had been carelessly tossed when Joe and I undressed. "It's not here!" I lamented. "I lost my wedding ring!" I started to cry.

"Calm down, sweetheart. It's not lost. It's just misplaced."

"I've been married for three days and I've already lost my ring. You must think I'm horrible!"

"Let's approach this logically." Joe's cop side came out. "When did you last see the ring?"

"At Pino's—when I showed it to you," I replied.

"Okay, we took my car to your mother's. So we need to check my car first."

"Let's do that now," I said, as I stood up.

"You want to put some clothes on first?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled on a pair of sweats. I skipped the underwear. Joe did the same. I pulled a sweater over my head and Joe pulled _me _into his arms.

"It's probably under the seat," he said in a reassuring voice.

"Come on. I want to find it."

We schlepped half dressed out to the car with Bob happily behind us. He jumped into the car thinking he was going for a ride. I ignored Bob and began searching the passenger seat. Joe got in the driver's seat and searched as well. As soon as I realized it wasn't there, I looked at Joe. "Let's go to my mother's."

"We could just call her and let her look," he responded.

"No. I won't be satisfied unless I look for myself."

"Steph, it's eleven o'clock."

"I don't care if it's two in the morning!"

"Sweetheart, it's just a ring."

"Don't ever say that again! It is a symbol of your love and devotion." I bellowed, and the tears, once again, spilled down my cheeks.

He sighed. "Okay. Let me lock up the house, and we'll go."

We arrived at my mother's and I banged on the door until my father answered wearing his pajamas. "What's going on?" My father asked. "We were in bed."

I pushed my way past my father without an explanation. Joe stayed behind to explain. I checked the house starting with the kitchen, and by time I reached the upstairs, my mother was up.

"What are you looking for?"

"My wedding ring," I said flatly.

"What wedding ring? You're not married yet!" I ignored her and started tearing through my room. "Stephanie! Are you going to answer me?"

Joe had reached the bedroom, and he fielded my mother's question. "We've been wearing our rings around our necks, so we would feel like we were already married."

"That's just crazy!" she replied.

"It was my insecurities. You know we've been here before and she wimped out."

"It's not here!" I wailed.

"Did you check the garment bag the dress came in?" Joe suggested.

"No. Why would it be in there?"

"Sweetheart, I'm a cop. I've learned not to leave any stone unturned."

"Joseph, turn around. You shouldn't see the dress," my mother ordered. My mother helped remove the dress from the garment bag, and I turned it inside out.

"Nooo!" I cried.

"You should have put it on a heavier chain," my mother scolded.

I was upset and I turned to my mother in anger. "I wasn't wearing the damn necklace! I took it off and put it in my pocket!"

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

That was the moment I snapped. "Because I'm fucking stupid!—okay?"

"Stephanie, you watch your mouth!"

"Come on, now. Let's not fight. It probably fell out of her pocket in the dressing room at the bridal shop." Joe draped his arm over my shoulder. "Let's go home."

"No! It might be in Valerie's car!"

"Stephanie, it's after eleven, and Valerie has children. We are not going to barge in on them tonight," Joe said sternly.

I resigned myself to go home. I felt like shit. When we got home, I let Bob out in the back yard and he yakked up something he had obviously eaten that didn't agree with him. Of course, he returned to the house bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I felt like throwing up, but I knew that even if I did, I surely wouldn't feel any better. I trudged upstairs to bed while Joe checked the house for signs of an intruder as well as any new bugs.

He climbed into bed, and I buried my face into his chest and began to cry again.

"Hey, no crying. We'll find your ring. I promise you. Besides, the cows aren't home yet."

"What?"

Joe kissed my neck. That's when I understood his comment. "Joe! I'm a mess!"

"You're a hot mess and I'm hot for you." He proceeded to seduce me until even I couldn't deny him his pleasure. In my emotional state it took me a long time to climax, but Joe wasn't about to give up. He made me get on top, and as I rode him he said things like "You are the woman of my dreams," and "You may have lost a ring, but you'll never lose me." He made me forget all about the ring. I was focused on his beautiful face. Joe Morelli, Italian rogue. At sixteen I loved him, at nineteen I despised him, at thirty I hunted him, at thirty-two I feared my feelings for him, at thirty-four I carried his child. I was Mrs. Morelli. That's when I threw my head back and cried out in pleasure.

"Oh, yeah, that's my girl."

I immediately tightened, and Joe held tight to my hips until he exploded inside of me. His eyes closed and his body spasmed. Once he relaxed, I got off and went to the bathroom. Joe followed behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Is that a cow I hear in the back yard?"

"You're stupid."

"Stupid, but happy."

It was seven-thirty when Joe woke me. "Come on, cupcake. Daddy has to go make some money."

"What am I supposed to do? I don't have a car."

He leaned over me on the bed. "That's why you have to get up. I can take you to your mother's so, you can get the Buick. We should have gotten it last night, but I wasn't thinking about cars."

"No, you were thinking about cows."

Joe smiled. "I was easy on you last night. On our wedding night, those cows aren't coming home till at least three in the morning."

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you."

"I know. Now, get up." He bounced off the bed and pulled me by the arm. He stared at my naked body. "Did you make your appointment with the doctor?"

"Yes. It's this Monday at Bynum Obstetrics at one o'clock, but I have to be there at twelve-thirty to fill out paperwork."

"I'll put in for a half day."

"You're going to come?"

"You think I'd miss my wife's first visit to the doctor?"

"Aww, Joe! You are so sweet!"

"Yeah, you are totally ruining my bad boy image."

Joe dropped me at my parents' house. I had the keys to the Buick, so I decided to avoid the morning mayhem at my parents' and go straight to Valerie's. She and Albert had bought a modest house on the outskirts of the Burg. Since Albert was a lawyer, Valerie used Albert to sue her no good ex-husband for child support before they got married. She'd been using my parents' address the whole time at the urging of Albert. He may not have been the sharpest lawyer in a courtroom, but he was learning. She had nothing to worry about unless he decided to visit his kids and that, as far as anyone could tell, was not going to happen.

Albert was just pulling out of the driveway as I pulled in. I gave him a wave and a smile. He waved back and continued on his way. I knocked on the door. Valerie opened the door and yelled, "Jesus, Albert! You have a key!" She was carrying a naked Lisa in her arms.

"Hi."

"Stephanie! What are you doing here?"

"I lost my wedding ring."

"No, really. Why are you here?"

"I lost my wedding ring, and I'm hoping it's in your car."

"When did you get married?"

"Monday and don't tell Mom."

She stepped backwards. "Wha..?"

"We decided to get married because we were both flipping out over the wedding. Joe was jealous of Ranger, and I was freaking out over money. We were wearing our rings around our necks on a chain. I took mine off yesterday because I was wearing a shirt that was really low cut and I couldn't hide the ring, so I shoved it in my pocket. Last night, I checked my pocket and it was gone."

"Oh my God, Stephanie! Here, take my keys." She shuffled to the kitchen and grabbed her keys off the hook.

"Thanks."

I rifled through Valerie's SUV with a fine toothed comb. I managed to find a lost bottle with rotting formula, two pacifiers, a McDonalds bag with trash in it, and a coloring book, but no ring. I fought back the tears by telling myself that Joe was right. The ring was at the bridal shop. I went back to the house, and Valerie invited me in for breakfast. Lisa was diapered and partially dressed when I returned. She cooked us each French toast while the baby sat in her high chair and drank a bottle. Normally I would have played with Lisa, but today I was too on edge. I soon as I ate my breakfast I made an excuse to leave. "I promised Mattie I'd be at the office at eight-thirty."

"Well, you're late."

"I know. That's why I need to get going. Please promise me you won't tell anyone about me and Joe. We want everyone to think the wedding is the real deal."

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me before."

"I wasn't supposed to tell you now."

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

"Don't even tell Albert."

"Don't worry! I won't!"

I exited the house and was about to get in the Buick when I noticed a shiny black SUV parked across the street. I pretended not to notice and got in the car. Sure enough, I was followed all the way to the office. When I parked, I walked back to see who my protector for the day was. It was Cal. He rolled down the window as I approached.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"Did you arm wrestle Hal to get this detail?"

He smiled. "No. I had to beat Ranger."

"You lie."

"What? You don't think I can beat my boss?"

"I don't think your boss would arm wrestle you."

"What's on the agenda for today, little miss?"

"Well I need to check in with Mattie, but my first stop is going to be the bridal shop."

"Seriously?"

"I'm not going to shop. I lost something and I'm hoping I left it there."

"Okay."

I turned and left Cal in the vehicle. I marched into the office, and Mattie was sitting on the couch reading the morning paper.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I have a really good reason."

"Don't tell me. You were having morning sex again," Mattie said sarcastically.

"No. I lost my wedding ring."

"What?" Mattie and Connie said in unison.

"Ranger took me home to change because I didn't want to look like a slob next to Ranger's new piece of ass, and so I changed into a really low cut shirt, and I stuck the ring on the chain in my pocket, and I lost it somewhere." I was out of breath.

Mattie started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"If Ranger's got a new piece of ass, what does that make you?—the _old_ piece of ass?"

I gave him a dirty look. "No. It makes me Mrs. Morelli, asshole."

"Wow. What's wrong with you?"

"Weren't you listening? I lost my wedding ring!"

"Okay, honey, calm down. Where have you looked?"

"I've looked everywhere except the bridal shop," I bellowed.

"Well, let's go," Mattie said firmly.

"They don't open for another hour."

"Okay, you need to get the hell out of here before Vinnie shows up. He's still bitchin' and moanin' about Kaiser. You've got till Monday to get him or Vinnie's out a ton of money."

"Well then Vinnie's going to be out a ton of money because I'm not going after him. He knows my every move. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he had a man inside Rangeman."

"You know what?" Mattie said thoughtfully.

"No. There is no way Rangeman has a spy. I went through this once before and it turned out the guy had a camera on the roof of the house across the…son of a bitch!"

"What?"

I popped my phone open and dialed Ranger.

"Yo."

"Remember when you thought there was a spy at Rangeman because someone was breaking into all the places you were protecting?"

"I remember."

"The guy put a camera on the roof."

"And?"

"And Kaiser always seems to know who's approaching his house before they even get near the place."

"I'll check it out. Is Cal with you?"

"Yeah, he said he had to arm wrestle you for the job."

"Did he now?"

"Uh huh. Maybe you need to hit the gym," I teased.

"Maybe you'd like to check me out to make sure I'm not going to pot. I can be naked in my bed anytime. Your call."

"Nice try."

"Later." Ranger disconnected.

"Okay, who do we have besides Kaiser?"

"We have a female who likes to write stolen checks. Her name is Deborah Fairbanks. It says here in her file that she's twenty-two and married. Seems she's written bogus checks to everyone from Best Buy to Macy's. Looks like she buys high priced items from national chain stores and then her husband returns them at another location using the receipt and getting a cash refund touting it was a gift that he didn't really want."

"Scam artists. What's with the husband? Is he out on bond?"

"No, it says he's incarcerated because he's got multiple offenses. She's out because she's a first timer."

"Well, we can check her out."

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

"She's six months pregnant."

I sunk back in my seat. I didn't like the idea of arresting a pregnant woman. If she couldn't post bail again, she'd give birth in prison.

"Look, I know what you're thinking, but it's your job. She might be better off giving birth in jail. She probably doesn't even have a doctor or insurance."

"Maybe she does."

"Are you gonna do this or not?"

"Okay! We'll do it."

We took Mattie's car to the bridal shop. Cal exited his vehicle and accompanied Mattie and I inside the store. I marched directly to the fitting room I had used the day before. I immediately began to search under the seat. Nothing. I could feel my blood pressure rising. As I exited the fitting room, I was met by a sales clerk.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I was in here yesterday looking for a gown, and I lost my ring. It was on a chain. Did anyone find it?"

"I don't know. No one said anything to me about it. I can check at the register."

"Me and my friends are going to look around, if you don't mind."

She learned close. "Are they cops?"

"No—bodyguards," I whispered.

"Oh!"

She went back to the register and made a phone call. Me and my boys began rifling through the racks of dresses looking for the ring. The sales clerk came to me after about ten minutes.

"I'm sorry. The night sales clerk vacuumed the dressing rooms last night before close, and she said she didn't see anything."

We continued to look and as time passed, it became obvious I wasn't going to find the ring. I began to well up.

"Stephanie, don't cry," Cal pleaded. "I'm not good when women cry."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't want to disappoint Joe," I whimpered.

As if on cue, my phone rang. It was Joe.

"Hello?"

"Hey, cupcake. Did you find it?"

"Nooo…" I squeaked.

"Did you check everywhere?"

"Everywhere except Pino's."

"Listen, I'll be heading that way in a little bit. I'll check there. Okay?"

"I'm sorry Joe. I didn't mean to lose it."

"It's not the end of the world. The ring was only a couple of hundred dollars. Now if you lose the engagement ring, I'd be upset. That ring cost me a pretty penny."

"I'm never taking it off."

"I'll call you later."

"Okay."

"Hey!"

"What?"

"What are your plans for today?"

"Nothing much."

"Stephanie. I'd rather not be surprised."

"Okay, we are going to pick up a pregnant woman who likes to write bad checks."

"Be careful."

"Joe, she's pregnant."

"And she's a criminal."

"Cal is with me."

"Good."

"Call me if you find the ring."

I disconnected.

"He didn't seem too upset about the ring," Mattie noted.

"I'm more upset about than he is. He just told me not to lose my engagement ring. Let's go get our check forgerer."

"Let's role," Cal said with enthusiasm.

We pulled up to the house. It was a single family cape cod in a decent neighborhood. The yard was fenced in. It wasn't a beautiful house, but it wasn't in bad shape either. There were shutters on the windows that needed painting and the bushes under the windows needed trimming, but otherwise the house seemed well maintained. Cal parked behind us. Mattie and I got out and jumped into Cal's SUV.

"That's the house," I reported to Cal.

"One car in the driveway. Hopefully, it's hers," Mattie added.

"Connie said her husband is still in jail. She couldn't afford to bail him out. Her mother bailed her out," I informed them. "So, if we take her in, chances are she's not going to make bond again."

"Okay, I'll go around back to cut off a rear escape. You and Cal take the front," Mattie instructed.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go."

"Whoa, little missy," Cal said as he clamped onto my arm.

"What?"

"I want you to wear my vest."

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not going to take any chances. Ranger would do the same thing."

"Fine." I let him remove his vest and put it on me. "This thing is friggin' huge!"

Cal pulled a roll of duct tape out of the glove compartment. He rolled the shoulders and taped them, so the vest wouldn't sit so low on my chest.

"That's better. We've got good coverage," he said satisfied with himself.

"I feel like I'm back in the eighties with these big shoulder pads," I complained.

"Right. Like you remember the eighties," Cal teased.

"I _am_ a few years older than you," I reminded him.

He grinned. "I never would have guessed."

"Okay. Can we do this thing now?"

"Absolutely."

I approached the door slowly to give Mattie time to reach the back. Suddenly, a large dog started barking in the back yard.

"Crap! She has a dog!" I said to Cal.

"Mattie came running like a bat out of hell from the back yard. He shut the gate and squatted near the front corner of the house. He waved us in. I marched up to the front door and knocked. It took a minute before a woman answered. She was obviously pregnant but not nearly nine months. If I had to guess, I would think she was about five months pregnant.

"Deborah Fairbanks?"

"Yes," she said cautiously.

"My name is Stephanie Plum, and I represent Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. You missed your court date, and I need you to come downtown, so they can set you up with a new court date." I avoided using the word station in the hopes that she would think we were going directly before the judge.

"Am I going to jail?" she asked.

I couldn't lie to her. "Only temporarily. You can call Vinnie, and he'll rebond you."

She began to talk nervously. "The reason I didn't go to court was because my mother was in a car accident, and she was in the hospital. Do I still have to go downtown?"

I remained calm. "I'm afraid so."

"Shoot. Can you come back in about an hour?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Okay. Let me get the dog in, and I'll get my coat."

"Sure."

She shut the door, and I looked at Cal. "That was too easy." I signaled for Mattie to go around to the gate. I had a sneaking suspicion, Deborah was going to bail on us. Sure enough, the gate opened and the dog ran out. It was big dog, but he was a mutt, and he definitely was no killer. Like Bob, he jumped at Mattie knocking him backwards. Mattie managed to grab him by the collar and drag him back toward the gate. In the meantime, Deborah hightailed it for the car. Cal and I both took off running toward her. As she reached the front bumper, she pulled a large gun from her coat pocket, and she pointed it directly at Cal.

I panicked. _Shit! He's not wearing a vest! _My instinct was to block him in the hopes she wouldn't shoot me. I dodged in front of him. I heard a _pop! _and then, I felt intense pain in my shoulder and chest. I was laid out flat on my back. My vision was out of focus. I saw black spots before my eyes.

I could hear a scuffle.

"_You broke my arm, you savage_!" she screamed.

"_I've got her. Go check on Stephanie_!" Mattie hollered.

In the next moment, Cal was kneeling over me. "Stephanie, can you hear me?"

I didn't realize it, but my eyes were closed. I opened my eyes and poor Cal, he looked so distraught. "She shot me," I whispered.

"You took a bullet for me," he croaked.

"I was wearing the vest."

"I don't know what to say."

"Thank you would be good because this fucking hurts."

"I'm sure it does. You got hit in the chest near the shoulder."

"Did it penetrate? Am I bleeding?"

"I don't see any blood. I don't want to move you. I'm going to call 911."

"No, please don't."

"If the shoe was on the other foot, would you call?"

I didn't answer him. The truth was I was in extreme pain, and I wasn't about to get up and walk away. Cal pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. He gave them the Reader's Digest version of the shooting. Then he made the call I didn't want him to make. He called Ranger. Ranger would call Joe.

He spoke cautiously into the phone. "Hey, I have bad news."…"Yes, she was shot, but she was wearing my vest." There was a long pause. "Boss?"…"I rigged it to fit her.—She—she took a bullet for me. She saved my life, boss." I could hear Cal letting his emotions overcome him.

"Tell him I'm all right," I pleaded.

"She's still down and the ambulance is on the way."…"Yes, I'll stay with her."

"Let me talk to him."

"He hung up. He's on his way."

"Is he going to call Joe?"

"I don't know. Do you want me to call Joe?"

"Please. Tell him I'm okay, and that I want to talk to him."

I gave Joe's cell number to Cal, and he made the call. "He's on the phone with someone, probably Ranger." Cal reached out and held my hand.

"Did you really break her arm?"

"No. Mattie did. She was so focused on you after you fell that she didn't see him coming up behind her. He kicked her in the forearm."

"So, Mattie's the hero."

"Stephanie, _you_ are the hero."

The sirens came screaming up the street. The police rolled up first. The officers pulled their guns on Mattie since he was holding Deborah in cuffs. He was busy trying to explain the situation when the paramedics arrived. Cal backed away to give them the room they needed. They asked me a ton of questions. I let them know that I was pregnant. I was freezing. I wasn't sure if it was because I had been lying on the cold ground or if I was going into shock. I suppose it could have been a combination of both. I felt confused by all the commotion when I saw Ranger standing a few feet away. I couldn't reach for him with my right arm, so I strained to reach across my body to him and called out "Carlos" in a faint voice.

The paramedic looked over his shoulder and spotted Ranger. "Is this your wife?" he asked.

"No, she's a friend. Her husband is on the way."

"Carlos," I cried out.

The paramedic moved away and allowed Ranger to approach me.

"Babe," he said as he took my good hand in his.

"I though these vests are supposed to protect us," I murmured.

"It stopped the bullet, didn't it?"

"I still feel like I got shot."

"Babe, you _did_ get shot. Cal said you took a bullet for him."

"She was aiming straight for him. I couldn't let him die—not for me."

His lips twisted into a faint smile. "Your mother instincts are already kicking in." A siren came wailing down the street. "My guess is that's Morelli."

"Did you call him?"

"I did. Cal reports to me and I report to him."

"You're not mad at Cal, are you?"

"Should I be?"

"No. Not at all."

Ranger let go of my hand, and the paramedics slid me onto a gurney. They had to slide their hands under my shoulders to move me, and the sudden pressure to my upper body caused me to cry out in pain. They strapped me in, pulled the gurney up, and snapped it into place about four feet off the ground. During all this, I could hear Joe. "Let me in. That's my wife."

Ranger met Joe a few feet away from where I was.

"Protection!" Joe bellowed. "You were supposed to be her protection!"

I couldn't hear what Ranger was saying because his back was to me. I saw Cal step forward. "I'm sorry. That shot was meat for me."

Ranger took control. He pulled Joe towards me. "Officer Morelli, they are taking her to the ambulance. She needs you."

"This is not over!" he growled as he raced to catch up to the gurney.

They slid me into the ambulance and stopped Joe in his tracks. "Sir, you can question her at the hospital. We're taking her to St. Francis."

"You don't understand. I'm her husband."

The other paramedic looked at me. "This is your husband?"

I nodded my head.

"Okay, let him in," he ordered.

Joe rushed to my side. "Stephanie, how are you feeling?"

It was a stupid question but one I probably would have asked if the roles were reversed. It was better than "thank God you're not dead."

"I feel like I got shot."

"Yeah, that's gotta hurt like a bitch. You're lucky Cal put that vest on you."

"He left himself exposed." Suddenly a wave of nausea kicked in. I wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy or the motion sickness from lying in a moving vehicle. "I don't feel so good. I think I'm going to throw up."

I started to convulse, and the paramedic shoved Joe out of the way. He grabbed a plastic bowl and pulled me to my side. The sudden movement caused me intense pain, and tears flooded my eyes as I puked up my breakfast. I ended with a whimper.

"I'm sorry," the paramedic said sincerely. "I didn't want you to drown in your own vomit."

I lay back. "Is it supposed to hurt this much?"

"We're almost there."

I looked over at Joe, and he was wiping his eye with the palm of his hand.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

The ambulance pulled into the emergency bay and once again things went really fast and frantic. I had a nurse ask me questions while someone else peeled the vest off of me. I cried out in pain as they twisted my shoulder to get it off.

"Cut the shirt," a man in a white coat, who I assumed was a doctor, ordered.

"No! I love this shirt!"

I worked with them to get my good arm free. Then they pulled it over my head and off the bad arm.

"The bruise is on the bone. I'll bet it's broken. Send her to x-ray and call me when the results are back."

"I'm pregnant!" I blurted out.

"We're not going to x-ray your abdomen. We'll take precautions to protect the baby," the nurse assured me.

They wheeled me down to x-ray in a wheel chair where I endured more pain as they twisted my upper torso to get the shots they needed. I had no idea where Joe was. They put me back in a bed behind a curtain and gave me a couple of Tylenol for pain. I needed morphine. I fell asleep waiting for the doctor to return. I opened my eyes, and Joe was stroking my hair.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"We'll talk about when we get home," His eyes were soft, but his voice was stern.

_Oh boy._

The doctor pulled the curtain back. "You're awake." He stepped inside. "Hi. My name is Dr. Crapps."

The name took me by surprise, and I couldn't help but laugh. However, laughing was not a good idea. "Ow," I whimpered.

"See that? Karma will get you every time," he replied.

"So, Dr. Crapps…" Joe began, but he, too, started to laugh. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I know. It's funny. My wife wouldn't even take my name."

"That's terrible!" I exclaimed.

"Isn't it? Your husband's badge says Morelli, and yet you're listed as Stephanie Plum."

"We've only been married for three days," Joe said in my defense. "Her insurance is under Plum. She hasn't had the chance to change anything yet."

"Oh, right. Why update your license and social security when you can get shot at instead?" the doctor quipped.

Joe shot me a look.

"It's my job," I shot back.

"May I remind you that you are pregnant? Are you trying to lose this baby?"

I gave Joe an evil look. "Did you say something to him?"

Joe answered me, and I wished that he hadn't. "You act as if I need to point out that you're being stupid."

I didn't like being ganged up on, so I lashed out. "Shut up!" I snapped.

Joe stepped away from the bed and turned his back on me. "You see what I have to deal with?"

"Well, you did marry her. The good news is you won't have to deal with it for a while. I'm ordering her to take some time off."

"You can't do that!" I protested.

"I think I can. You have a broken collarbone."

"She does?" Joe replied before I could.

"The vest stopped the bullet from penetrating, but the force was enough to crack the bone and bruise your pectoral muscle. You'll be sore for a couple of days, and you won't have full use of that arm for a good month. By the way, whoever duct taped the vest did a good job. He probably saved you from a much worse injury."

"So how long do I have to stay out of work?"

"Forever!" Joe growled.

"I'll have the nurse fit you with a sling. It will take the pressure off the break."

"How long?" I reiterated.

"For what?"

"Before I can work?"

"Make a follow up appointment with your primary care doctor in two weeks. He'll clear you if you're ready to work."

The doctor left the room, and Joe sat in the chair in silence.

"I'm sorry I told you to shut up."

He didn't say anything. I could only assume he was to pissed to talk. The nurse came in, and Joe took the opportunity to leave the room.

"Did the officer finish questioning you about the shooting?"

My mind was on Joe, so her question went right over my head. "What?"

"The shooting—did he finish his report?"

"Um, no. That officer is my husband."

"Well, is he going to fill out a report? Because if doesn't, you can't leave."

"He'll fill out a report. Trust me." I hoped he was out there filling out a report. The nurse helped me to dress and then fit the sling. She informed me that as soon as my discharge papers were signed, I could go.

The ride home was quiet. I didn't dare speak because I knew Joe was barely keeping it together as it was. As we pulled into the driveway, Joe finally spoke. "Stay in the car while I let Bob out in the backyard—please."

"Okay."

Joe hit the locks as he got out of the car, locking me in. The sun had just disappeared behind the buildings. It would be dark soon enough. _Jeez. Does he think Kaiser's going to kidnap me in the two minutes it will take him to let Bob out? _I thought to myself. Joe returned minutes later and helped me out of the SUV. He took me by the good elbow. "Watch your step," he cautioned me.

"Joe, do we have Tylenol in the house?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"It's the only thing I can take for pain."

"Are you in pain?"

"It's not too bad right now, but they gave me a couple of Tylenol at the hospital."

"Well I spoke to your mother. They're coming over, and she's bringing dinner. I'll go out when she gets here."

"You told my mother I got shot?"

"Of course I told your mother. Did you want her to hear it through the Berg grapevine?"

I thought about it for a brief second. "No."

"Sit on the couch. I'll bring you a pillow and a blanket."

"Joe, I'm not an invalid."

"Appease me, okay?"

"Fine," I huffed. Joe returned with a pillow which he propped up behind me, and then he covered my legs with a blanket.

"Can I see the bruise?" he asked.

"Only if you promise not to freak out."

"I promise."

Joe helped me take the sling off and then lifted my shirt, so I could slide my good arm out. He lifted the shirt over my head and down my arm exposing the bruised area.

"Jesus, Stephanie! I don't want you working for Vinnie anymore!" he barked.

"Fine. I'll work for Ranger," I said as a matter of fact.

"I don't want you working at all!"

"That's not fair!" I shrieked.

"What's not fair is getting a call telling me you've been shot!"

"I never expected her to carry a gun!"

"Your friggin' grandmother carries a gun for Christ's sake!" he bellowed.

Before I could answer, there was a knock on the door. Joe drew in a deep breath. "This is not over."

"Help me put my shirt back on." Joe pulled the shirt back over my head. There was pure venom in his eyes. "Can I get a kiss?" I asked in the hopes of diffusing his anger.

"Are you going to quit your job?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"The day before Thanksgiving," I said adamantly.

"Then, that's when I'll kiss you," he countered as he slid off the couch and headed for the door.

"You can't have sex with me if you don't kiss me!" I yelled to him.

Joe turned back and glared at me. "Then I guess I won't be having sex. What about you?"


	23. Chapter 23

**I'd like to thank the readers who have jumped on my Plum Crazy bandwagon in the last month, jwarden, roon0, brandt659, Calcat, eng-babe, FutureFemaleCSI, HPMugglefan, RANGEMAN1950, and spunkxxchick. A lot of you are Ranger fans, so the fact that you have stuck with my Morelli driven story brings me sheer joy. I hope my story does not disappoint!**

WORDS OF WISDOM

Joe pulled the front door open, and Grandma Mazur practically fell onto the floor. Joe had to catch her. "Whoa, Grandma Mazur. Where's the fire?"

"Is she all right? Tell me my only granddaughter is all right."

"See for yourself." My mother, father, and grandmother all marched into the living room. Dad's arms were full of plastic containers filled with food.

"Stephanie!" My mother and grandmother both said simultaneously, as they converged on me.

"Joseph said you were shot. I about had a heart attack!" My mother cried.

I moved my legs and carefully shifted to a sitting position, so they could each sit.

"I was wearing a protective vest," I explained. "It sounds a lot worse than it is."

"She's got a broken collarbone," Joe pointed out.

"How?—If you were wearing a vest?"

"Blunt force trauma from the bullet," Joe added.

"Oh my heaven!" My mother made a sign of the cross.

Joe pointed Dad in the direction of the kitchen and then approached me. "I'm going to the store. Is there anything you need besides Tylenol?"

"Just a kiss," I said in a flirtatious voice.

Joe leaned in and kissed me on top of the head. "Nice try," he murmured. "I'm going to stop at the station and maybe stop for a beer." Translation: I'm pissed and I don't want to be around you right now.

"What about dinner?" My mother asked. It was almost six o'clock.

"I'm not hungry," he called out without turning around. He was out the door in an instant.

I looked at my mother. "He's mad at me."

"For getting shot?"

"For not quitting my job."

"Oh, honey, you should quit. That's a horrible job!"

"I will, Mom, but the deal was I could work up until I say 'I do', and the truth is I would quit tomorrow if I could work for Ranger."

"Ranger? How would working for Ranger be any safer?"

"It would be a desk job in a secure building," I answered.

"He won't let you do that?"

"He's jealous," Grandma blurted out.

"He doesn't need to be," I shot back.

"I heard rumors," Grandma continued.

"Mother, shut up!" my mother snapped.

"What rumors?"

"Nothing, dear. Nothing for you to be concerned about," my mother assured me.

"Not as long as you're sure," Grandma Mazur added.

"Sure of what?" I was totally lost.

My mother looked tense. "Is there anything to drink in this house?"

_Oh boy. _I turned to the one person I could trust. "Dad, what are they talking about?"

"Word on the street is that may not be Joe Morelli's baby you're carrying."

"Oh my God! Is that what people think?"

"Honey, people just like to talk," my mother said in an effort to calm me.

"This is absolutely Joe's baby! I haven't been with Ranger in two and a half months!" As soon as I said it, I wanted to pull it back.

"Stephanie!" my mother shouted.

"And how pregnant are you?" Grandma Mazur asked.

"I'm eight weeks pregnant. I had my period _after _the last time I was with him." _Shit. I'm in deep now._

I'm surprised Joe's marrying you at all," my mother quipped.

"I love Joe! I can't believe you are questioning me about this!"

"Does Joe know?"

"Yes, he knows," I said defensively.

"Can you understand why he doesn't want you to work with Ranger?" my mother pressed.

"Ranger is a good friend. He cares about me and he protects me."

My grandmother always picked the wrong time to talk. "Then how did you get shot today?"

"It was my fault. Cal made me wear his vest. She was aiming for Cal. I jumped in front of him."

"Who in the world is Cal?"

"He's one of Ranger's men. He's my…" I stopped.

"Your what?" my mother pressed.

"My bodyguard."

"Why on earth do you need a bodyguard?"

"It's complicated."

"Good God! I need a drink!" my mother cried.

My father stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the club."

"Like hell you are. Sit down!" my mother shrieked.

"I refuse to sit here and watch you badger our daughter over the choices she's made. She and Joe have worked this out. It's none of our damn business!"

"I'm her mother!"

"Well if I remember correctly, you were no angel when I met you either."

I jumped at the comment. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your mother tried to tell me she was a virgin."

"I _was_!" my mother cried.

"Like hell you were. Guys talk. Butch Martin told me about you two and the pregnancy scare."

Grandma Mazur jumped off the couch. "I knew you were lying about that boy!"

My mother started to cry. I couldn't remember my mother ever being caught in such a huge lie in my whole life.

"Ellen, I had hoped you would tell me the truth about Butch, but it seemed so important to you that I view you as a virgin. When I fell in love with you, I decided it was better to just let it go. Stephanie may have had relationships with two men, but neither of them laid claim to her until now."

"I'm going in the kitchen to cook," my mother said defiantly. Grandma Mazur followed her leaving me and my dad alone.

"Thanks, Dad, for sticking up for me."

He sat next to me on the couch. "I love you princess. Joe loves you, too. Don't wound him. He looked tonight like he's teetering on the edge. Swallow your pride and do as he asks. It won't kill you, but it might destroy him. You can revisit the job situation with Ranger later on down the road."

"I suppose you're right."

He patted my knee. "How are you feeling, really?"

"Dad, this hurts more than getting shot in the ass."

"Well take it easy. Let Joe baby you. It'll be good for his ego."

"Speaking of egos. You really bruised Mom's ego."

"I know. I should apologize to her."

"Go. Make her feel better."

My father left me on the couch, and Grandma soon emerged.

"Your father just kicked me out of the kitchen," she said indignantly. "Humph! I should stay here with you."

"No, that's not a good idea. Joe and I need to work some things out. How are things with Carl?" I asked in an effort to change the direction of the conversation.

"We have a date tomorrow. He's taking me to Atlantic City."

"Ranger's going to Atlantic City, tomorrow."

"Really? Maybe I'll see him there."

"I don't think he's going to gamble. He's got a hot girlfriend."

Grandma didn't answer me. She was fixated on the TV. Dinner was served at six-thirty, and I thought my mother would have a coronary. Joe was a no show. Shortly after dinner Mattie, Connie, Lula, and Vinnie arrived bearing flowers and balloons. My parents and Grandma Mazur said their good-byes. Mattie said I looked a lot better. I didn't feel a lot better. The Tylenol had worn off and the dull ache was becoming wincing pain.

Vinnie took down all the information for the insurance claim and relayed to me that Joe had stopped in to see him. Vinnie said he was not happy. He told Vinnie that the doctor at the hospital put me out of work for the next two weeks, and that he expected Vinnie to be compliant. He left shortly after that. He said he was taking the wife shopping, but I knew better. He just didn't want to see Joe again. I got the feeling Joe wasn't exactly 'nice' when he spoke to Vinnie.

Connie didn't stay long because she had a date. Mattie looked a tad bit jealous, but since he was still trying to get back with his wife, I really couldn't blame her. Lula was in the kitchen rummaging for leftovers.

"So how are things going with Joanna?" I asked after Connie left.

"About the same. She's still really pissed about the car."

"What about the car?"

"Well, after my near death experience, I decided that if Joanna wanted her freedom, then I wasn't going to walk away empty handed. I traded in the Toyota Corolla and took a chunk of money from our savings and bought the Charger."

"Oh, right. I had forgotten that you had that Toyota."

Lula sauntered into the living room with a plate loaded with spaghetti. "Stephanie, you need to learn to cook like your momma! This spaghetti is the bomb!"

"Sure, I'll watch the cooking channel while I'm laid up," I said sarcastically.

"Ooo! You could take a class! I'll do it with you!"

"Sure, whatever." I had no intentions on taking a cooking class. If I wanted to learn to cook, my mother would probably jump at the chance to teach me. It was food for thought.

After Lula polished off her plate of spaghetti, her phone rang. "It's Marcus!" she squealed. She giggled the entire time she took the call. I looked at Mattie and rolled my eyes. He nodded in agreement. She finally got off the phone. "That was Marcus. He wants to take me to a movie and to dinner."

"You just ate dinner!"

"I told him that. He said we could just get some snacks at the movies." She jumped off the couch and did a little dance. "Popcorn, nachos, and some hot chocolate tonight!"

"Hot chocolate?" Mattie asked.

"Hot chocolate—Marcus, boy!" Lula grabbed her coat, and she was out the door.

"Thank God. Peace and quiet," I remarked.

"I should get going, too," Mattie declared.

"No! Don't leave me alone!"

"Right. Kaiser. Okay, I'll stay if you want."

"Thanks."

As the night wore on, the dull ache in my chest and shoulder began to intensify. I began to squirm.

"Are you all right?" Mattie asked.

"I'm hurting."

Mattie got up. "Sit up for a minute." I sat up and Mattie scooted behind me and placed a pillow in his lap. "Okay, lay down." I stretched out and laid my head on the pillow in his lap. Mattie gently stroked my head. "Better?"

I was more comfortable, but the pain was still there. "A little."

We watched American Idol. It was almost over when Joe finally came home.

"Well, don't you two look cozy?"

"Mattie's been waiting for you to come home, so he can leave."

"Sorry, I had some things to attend to," he said flatly.

"Drinking?" I shot back.

"That was one of them."

I rolled my eyes. "Did you get my Tylenol?" He slapped his head. "You forgot?" I said in a panic.

"I left it in the car. I'll be right back."

Joe left. I turned to Mattie. "At least he's not totally smashed."

"Does he drink a lot?"

"Only when he's upset."

"So, I guess he's not too upset."

"He's upset, but…"

Joe returned to the house, and I stopped talking. He held the bottle out to me. "Here you go, your majesty."

I just shook my head at him. I couldn't possibly open the bottle. Mattie caught on quickly.

"Here, let me open that for you."

"You don't have to do that, man. She said she's not an invalid," Joe said coldly.

Mattie opened the bottle and handed me two pills.

"Can I have one more?"

"How many are you supposed to take?" he asked.

"Just give me the damn pill."

Joe returned from the kitchen with a glass of water.

"I should be going," Mattie exclaimed. "Joe, would you walk me out?"

"Sure."

Mattie kissed my temple. "Sleep well. I'll come over tomorrow."

Mattie and Joe talked outside for a good ten minutes. I got up and went into the kitchen. My mother had left it spotless. The only mess was left by Lula, me, and Mattie. Joe entered the kitchen.

"I'm going to bed. I have to go into work early and play catch up."

"I'm sorry I ruined your day."

The fact that he didn't answer cemented the fact that I had, indeed, ruined his day. On the way up the stairs I couldn't grab a hold of the banister because my arm was in the sling. Joe took my elbow and guided me up the stairs. Joe disrobed and climbed into the bed without speaking.

I stood at the edge of the bed. "Don't you want to say anything? Maybe yell at me?"

"What good would that do? That would be like yelling at a deaf child." He shook his head. "I just want to sleep."

I marched into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. It was difficult to even go to the bathroom considering that using my right arm was extremely painful, so I tried to do everything with my left. My babydoll nightgown was hanging over the towel rod. I struggled trying to get my shirt off. I couldn't pull my good arm out of the shirt without using my bad arm to pull it up. The Tylenol hadn't kicked in yet. If I wasn't pregnant, I'd probably be zonked out on painkillers. Just one more thing about pregnancy that sucked.

"Are you coming to bed?" Joe called out.

I kicked the door, slammed the toilet seat down, plopped on it, and began to cry in frustration. Everything was so screwed up. I lost my wedding ring. My husband was pissed at me for getting shot. My mother thinks I'm a whore. Ranger thinks—I don't know what Ranger thinks.

The door opened, and Joe looked at me.

"Steph, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I whimpered.

"Are you in pain?"

I stared at him with tear stained cheeks. "Yes, I'm in pain and I can't get this fucking shirt off!" I shrieked.

Joe's lips curled into a smile.

"It sucks being an invalid, doesn't it? You know it could have been worse, you could be…" His smile faded from his face. He came to me and lifted my shirt allowing me to pull my good arm free.

"You were going to say 'dead', weren't you?"

"I don't want to think about that," he said stoically. "You are supposed to outlive me, do you hear me?"

"Why?"

His eyes were dark. "Because I can't bear the thought of living without you."

I laid my hand on Joe's face. He had a five o'clock shadow. "You know, every day of our lives is a gift, and I think withholding sex or affection is a terrible waste."

He stared into my eyes. "You're right."

He took my face in his hands and leaned into my lips. I had been longing for this since I left the hospital. The pain in my shoulder melted away as my thoughts turned only to the passion of the kiss. He tasted like beer, but my body didn't betray me tonight.

"I hate kissing you," Joe grumbled as he pulled away.

I was horrified by the statement. "You _hate _kissing me?"

"Yeah, 'cause whenever I kiss you, I always get a hard-on."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a good thing."

"It would be—if I could make love to you."

"You were willing to go a month without making love to me."

"That's because I wasn't going to kiss you."

"You know I would have done anything to get you to kiss me."

"Would you have quit your job?"

"I can't work for two weeks, and Vinnie told me you paid a visit to him and let him know that. That leaves only two weeks till the wedding."

"That's two weeks that I can be driven to insanity."

"Maybe in two weeks, I won't want to go back."

"I only wish…" Joe stood up from the squatting position and grabbed my nightie off the towel rack. He slid it over my head and helped my get the bad arm through the arm hole. "Are you coming to bed, Mrs. Morelli?"

My eyes focused on the ring around his neck. "Did you go to Pino's today?"

"Yeah, they asked me to stop in during the day and ask the day waitresses."

"You mean Anarosa," It wasn't a question.

"Well, she _was_ working that day."

"Great, she hates me. If she found it, she'd probably pawn it."

Joe climbed into the bed. "Why does she hate you?"

"Because I marched into Pino's with her man on my arm."

"Well, maybe if you didn't dress up all hoochy, she wouldn't have gotten upset, and you wouldn't have lost your ring," he said sternly.

"Thank you. Anything else you want to throw in my face?"

He smiled evilly. "Well, as a matter of fact…"

_First he yells at me and now he wants sex? _"Forget it. I'm going to sleep."

I was aggravated all over again. I lay on my good side with my back to him. It was quiet for a minute.

"You want to snuggle?" he asked as he wrapped himself around me.

"Ow! That hurts!" I cried.

"Sorry!" he said indignantly. Then he rolled away, and we were lying back to back. After about ten minutes, I realized I was never going to fall asleep while we were fighting. I sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Joe."

"What?" he answered coldly.

"I can't snuggle because I can't lay on my right side. I'm on the wrong side of the bed."

"Fine. I got it."

He didn't move in the darkness.

"Would you let me sleep on your side?"

"All you had to do was ask." Joe slid over to my side and held up the covers. I got up and walked around the bed. I slid in and rested my head in the crook of his shoulder. I laid my hand on his chest. He rested his hand on my ass.

"You're ass doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No."

"Good, 'cause I love your ass."

"I love you, Joe."

"I love you, too, cupcake."

I woke several times throughout the night usually when I tried to roll over on the side I was used to sleeping on. The sudden pain would wake me up. Joe usually woke up from the constant movement. Once, Joe had to get up retrieve the Tylenol from downstairs, so I could take another dose.

It was still early when Joe woke me.

Sweetheart, I have to go to work. Ranger's men are here to install the security system. Do you think you could put on some clothes? I don't really need Ranger seeing you half dressed."

_Considering he saw me in only my panties the other day. _"Will you help me?"

Joe grabbed one of my shirts and a bra from the dresser. "Is this good enough?" he asked, as he held up the clothes.

"I'm not going anywhere, right?"

"No, but I'm sure all of your admirers will be here including Ranger."

"No, he won't. He'll be leaving for Atlantic City with Anarosa."

Joe smiled. "Remind me to thank Anarosa."

"You don't need to be anywhere near Anarosa," I replied. The jealousy was evident in my voice.

He answered me in a syrupy sweet voice. "But—she's just a friend."

"Oh, come on. She's not a friend. She's a waitress who would like nothing more than to get in your pants."

Joe leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips. "Touché," he whispered.

"That's not fair. Ranger and I have been friends for a long time."

"You've been lovers for a long time. What is your point, Stephanie?"

"I don't know what my point is anymore. I just know I love Ranger, but I'm in love with you."

"Well, I don't love Anarosa and I never will. I have to go to work. Try to be good."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Later," he said with a smile.

Joe left, and I decided to get up and take a peek at who was here. I crept carefully down the stairs. The first person I ran into was Hector. I never felt comfortable around him. There was something about that teardrop tattoo. He was an ex-gang member, and I had issues with anyone who would belong in a gang.

"Hi," I said meekly.

He was systematically checking the room for electronic devises. He looked up and nodded to me. I walked into the kitchen and found Cal placing a bouquet of flowers in a vase.

"Cal! I'm so glad you're here," I said sincerely.

"Stephanie, I brought you these flowers. I hope you're not allergic or anything."

"No, I'm not. That's very sweet of you. Thank you."

"You saved my life. I should be thanking you."

"You have."

"I'm yours for the day. What do you want to do?"

"Coffee and Tylenol would be great."

"I've got it. Sit yourself down, and I'll get anything you need. Where's the Tylenol?"

"Upstairs in the bathroom."

"Would you like a pillow and a blanket?"

"Sure."

Cal disappeared upstairs and returned with Joe's pillow, the blanket from the bed, Tylenol, my phone, and a hairbrush. The only thing he didn't bring was the sling for my arm. He dropped everything on the chair. Then he proceeded to prop the pillow up behind me, laid the blanket over me, and handed me the remote control for the TV.

"I'll make some coffee for you. Do you want me to make breakfast?"

I raised my eyebrow skeptically. "You cook?"

"Sure. I love to cook. It's therapeutic. I was looking through your fridge. You've got ham and cheese and some fresh vegetables. I can make you a hell of an omelet."

"That sounds delicious. Do you need any help finding anything?"

"Nope. I got it," he called out as he marched back into the kitchen.

I settled in and watched the news. They reported another murder. The victim was found in a dumpster. I knew this would mean long hours for Joe. I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

"Stephanie. Is everything okay?" he said instead of hello.

"Yes, everything is fine. I was watching the news. They said there was another dumpster murder."

"Yeah, it looks like we've got a serial killer on our hands."

"I guess you'll be too busy to come home for lunch."

"Sweetheart, if I eat at the station, I might get out of here at a decent hour."

"Okay, I miss you."

"Miss you, too." He disconnected. There was a loud knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Cal called from the kitchen. He appeared in the living room momentarily. "You expecting anyone?"

"No one in particular, but I _was_ shot yesterday and news travels at the speed of light in the Burg."

"At eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Could be Mattie."

Cal went to the door and returned with of all people, Diesel."

"You know this guy?" Cal asked.

I smiled. "Diesel!"

"Hey, hot stuff. I popped into your apartment, and the vibes I got were definitely not yours."

"I sublet the apartment to Mattie. You remember him?"

"Sure. Athletic guy. He was going to take over your job, right?"

"Right. So what are you doing here in Trenton?"

"Still keeping my eye on someone. There's been a few murders and they fit his 'M.O.'. Thought I'd hang around and snoop for a few days. Mind if I crash here?"

"I don't mind, but I guess I should clear it with Joe. I don't live alone anymore."

Diesel looked around the room and focused on Hector and then Cal. "How many guys do you live with these days?"

"Oh, that guy is putting in a security system and Cal over here is…"

Cal stepped forward with his muscles flexed. "I'm her bodyguard," he said with authority as he offered Diesel his hand. Diesel reached out and they shook. The tension between them was evident. I jumped to my feet to break them apart forgetting about my injury. As I pushed off the couch with my bad arm to stand, stabbing pain shot from my shoulder to my collarbone and I cringed. I immediately clutched at my arm and cried out.

"Fuck! That hurts!"

Both guys immediately turned their attention to me.

"Stephanie! Are you all right?" Diesel responded.

"I got her," Cal said as he shoved his way past Diesel to help me. "You're supposed to be resting." Cal sounded like my mother.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Diesel asked.

"You're the psychic. Don't you know?"

"Don't tell me you got shot."

I looked directly at Diesel and then at Cal. "How the hell did he know?"

"Lucky guess," Cal replied.

"Yes, that's it," Diesel confirmed with a smile. "You want to give me the details?"

"She saved my life," Cal blurted out. "She's like a guardian angel."

"Nah, guardian angels aren't as well endowed. Trust me. Hey, is that ham I smell?"

"My omelets!" Cal bellowed as he took off toward the kitchen.

"I'll take one of those!" Diesel called after him. He turned his attention back to me. He sat on the couch next to me. "So, do you want to tell me how you got shot?"

"You want to tell me how you know a guardian angel?"

"Eh, there's not much to tell. It wasn't what I'd call a heavenly experience. Now you on the other hand…" he said as he trailed his finger across my jawbone.

"Am engaged," I replied before the heat of his touch would make me forget. I explained the whole story to him including the part about Joe being pissed about the whole situation.

"You should be wearing a sling. It will take the pressure off your collarbone."

"I have one upstairs."

Diesel bounced off the couch, trotted upstairs, and returned with the sling. "Does it still hurt?"

"Like a bitch! I've been sucking down Tylenol because it's the only thing I can take."

"Let me try something. Do you mind?" His expression was serious.

"Do I get to keep my bra on?"

He sighed and then grinned. "If you insist."

I nodded. Diesel pulled my shirt up and off of me revealing the bruised collarbone. His gaze went from my collarbone to my breasts.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I asked.

"Darlin', if I was trying to seduce you, you wouldn't have to ask. It would be blatantly obvious." Diesel replied as he rubbed his hands together vigorously. He gently laid his hand over the top of the bruise. The heat from his hand felt good. "How's that?"

I closed my eyes. "It feels good."

Cal came out of the kitchen and threw a fit. "What the hell are you doing to her? Stephanie, put your clothes on!"

Diesel smiled and his dimples exploded onto his face. "She says I'm making her feel good!" he taunted.

"If anyone is going to make her feel good, it's going to be me!" Cal roared.

"Cal!" I was shocked at his statement.

Cal blushed.

Diesel burst out laughing.

_Oh boy. _I had enough problems with Joe and Ranger. I didn't need these two having a pissing contest over me. I needed to take control.

"First of all, I'm engaged to a wonderful guy." I directed my gaze at Diesel. Whatever you're doing, it's taking away my pain." I turned my head and looked directly at Cal. "As for you, I was really looking forward to that omelet."

"That's why I came in here—to see if you wanted to eat here or in the kitchen."

"We'll join you in the kitchen," I said calmly.

Diesel helped me put my shirt back on and adjusted my sling. "Is that better?"

"It doesn't hurt so much. How did you do that?"

"My fingers are magic. You should know that by now." I instinctively reached to my breast to make sure my bra was still on.

Diesel laughed. "Come on." He helped me off the couch and escorted me to the kitchen. He rested his hand on my ass, and the heat from his hand went right to my doodah.

"Must you?"

"Sorry. Residual power. Hard to shut it off." I rolled my eyes at him, and he she showed me his dimples again.

"And stop that smiling!" I growled.

"I'm getting' to ya, aren't I?"

I sat at the kitchen table with Cal to my left, Diesel to my right, and Hector across from me. Hector didn't talk, but I could tell he was enjoying the testosterone fest between Cal and Diesel. The omelets were delicious.

"This is really good," I said in earnest.

"Thanks," Cal replied.

"Yeah, you could come work for me and be my chef," Diesel replied.

"No, thank you. I have a job."

"Right. Rangeman attire. You work for Manoso."

"Yeah, so?" Both Cal and Hector gave Diesel a look.

"He's a good man. Smart."

The tension in the room relaxed and everyone went back to eating. After breakfast, we retired to the couch and watched TV for a few hours. I was bored to death. At eleven, I called Joe.

"Hey, cupcake."

"Hi. I'm really bored. There must be something I can do today."

"Cal's still with you, right?"

"And Diesel."

"Diesel? What's he doing there?"

"He says he's in town on a mission and he wants to know if he can crash here for a few days."

"So right now you're sandwiched between those two muscle bound jocks?"

"Uh huh, and I'm about to kill myself."

Joe laughed. "I though you liked them big and tough."

"I do. That's why I like you."

"I'm not so big."

"You are where it counts."

"Are you going to talk dirty to me?"

"Will it get you to come home any sooner?"

"Probably not."

"Then, no."

"Well, if you want to take a little ride with your bodyguards, you can go see my mother. She has a list of people she wants us to invite to the wedding."

"How long is this list?"

"I don't know."

"What if she's got like a hundred people on it?"

"I told her that we were keeping the wedding, small and that we would take the list as a suggestion."

"Okay, I'll go get it, but you owe me."

"Sweetheart, nobody owns you."

"_Owe!—_not owns!"

Joe burst out laughing. "I love you."

I drew in a deep exasperated breath. "Okay, stop laughing. I should do some food shopping while I'm out."

"You need money?"

"No. I can throw it on my credit card."

"Stop by the station. I'll be in the office for another hour or so."

We left Hector at the house. He was still installing the security system. Diesel fought with Cal because he wanted to drive. It was Ranger's SUV. Diesel was not going to win that battle. Diesel settled into back seat behind me. He slid his healing hands under my shirt like before to reduce the pain. I had to admit his hands were magical.

As we pulled up to the house, I saw Joe's grandmother move the curtains and look out the window. Joe must have called her to let her know I was coming. Diesel jumped out of the SUV to help me out of the vehicle. You'd think it was my leg that was broken. He walked me to the curb where Cal was waiting.

I turned to them both. "Stay!" I ordered using my good hand as a stop sign.

They both stood on the sidewalk with their arms folded across their chests. The door opened before I got halfway up the front walk.

"Stephanie, don't leave your friends out there. The neighbors will think we're under surveillance."

I did a mental eye roll, then turned around to the two blonde muscleheads. "Come on," I summoned.

Diesel smiled brightly and those dimples popped out. He reminded me of Bob when you told him he could go for a ride in the car. Cal remained stoic and professional. He didn't forget that he was on the job.

Grandma Bella ushered us into the house where Joe had grown up. It was worn from years of bringing up three children, two of them rambunctious boys. The living room had new carpet and old furniture. Two worn couches covered with throw blankets lined the walls—no doubt to seat the family during holiday festivities. Grandma Bella motioned for me to sit. Diesel was quick to take the spot next to me while Cal stood at ease near the door.

"Are you not going to sit?" Grandma Bella asked.

"I'm fine," Cal said solemnly.

Diesel's smile was brilliant. "He's working. He has to uphold the Rangeman image."

"Working? What is he doing?"

"He's my personal assistant until I can get the use of my arm back," I blurted out before Diesel could spill the beans that I had a bodyguard.

Joe's mothered appeared in the doorway balancing a tray with five glasses and several cans of soda. Cal rushed forward to her.

"Let me get that for you, ma'am."

"Why thank you, young man." Cal took the tray from her and carried it to the coffee table. "Stephanie, Joseph told me you fell down the steps and broke your collarbone. How are you feeling?"

"Um, it hurts a lot. I'm just not used to sitting at home."

"You know you're lucky you didn't injure yourself worse. Have you thought of taking that dog to obedience school?" _Okay, so obviously Joe told her that Bob knocked me down the stairs._

"Bob gets a little excited sometimes."

"You could have lost the baby," she pointed out.

"The baby's fine."

"That's good. Are you hungry? I could make sandwiches."

"No, thank you. Cal made us omelets for breakfast."

Mother Morelli looked at Diesel. "You can cook?"

"Steaks on the grill. Cal's that guy over there."

She acknowledged Cal with a nod of her head. "So, tell me what plans you have for the wedding so far."

Cal poured drinks for all and sat next to Mother Morelli. I told her everything I could think of regarding the wedding plans. I told her we were hoping to get the invitations out this weekend, and Joe was going to see if we could sample some of the food choices at the caterers. "Joe said you had a list of people you were hoping to invite?"

"Yes. I know this is your wedding, but these are people who will give you substantial gifts."

She handed me the list. There were about twenty couples on it. "There's like forty people on this list?"

"Too many?"

"I don't know. Joe and I will discuss it. We are only inviting a hundred people—one-twenty-five max."

"Well, you had better get those invitations out by Monday. The wedding is only a month away."

"I know."

"Are you excited?"

"I'm nervous."

"Why? Don't you think my Joseph will make a good husband?" she pressed.

"No, I know Joe will make a wonderful husband and father. I just don't want to disappoint him."

"Joe has stayed with you for a long time. You know he could have had any woman in Trenton. He chose you. I don't think you'll disappoint him." _Words of encouragement from Mother Morelli. Who woulda thought?_

Mrs. Morelli thanked us for stopping by, and we went on our way. Cal's phone rang just as we were getting into the SUV. It was Ranger.

"Yo, boss."…"Sure, I'll tell her, but she's right here if you want to speak to her."…"Sure, sure." Cal disconnected and dropped the phone in the cup holder.

"Was that Ranger?" I knew it was.

"Yeah. He said he hopes you're feeling better, and that he's on his way to Atlantic City. He said he'll call me when he gets back, barring there are no emergencies."

"He didn't want to talk to me?"

"He said he had other calls to make."

I was wounded. "Bullshit. He didn't want to talk to me because Anarosa is with him, and she hates me."

"That's none of my business," he replied coolly.

"I can't believe he didn't want to talk to me. Did he even ask how I was feeling?"

Cal ignored me.

"Damn it!"

I pulled my phone from my purse and dialed his number. He answered after three rings.

"Yo."

"I can't believe you didn't want to talk to me."

"I never said I didn't want to talk to you."

"Anarosa is just going to have to accept that we are friends."

"This has nothing to do with her."

"Then why? Why didn't you at least ask how I was feeling?"

"Morelli came to see me yesterday."

"And?"

"And he asked me if I could give you two some space. He said he's afraid that as the wedding approaches you will back out again."

"That's crazy. We're already married!"

"It is what it is, babe. He asked me to respect his wishes."

"How could he?"

"He's afraid. I can't say that if I were in the same position that I wouldn't have done the same thing."

I was silent because I was so angry I didn't know what to say.

"Stephanie, do you want out?"

"No!"

"Because if you do, now is the time to do it—not the day of the wedding."

"I absolutely want this. I was just upset that you didn't want to talk to me. I've been fighting this battle with Joe to keep you in my life, and I thought Anarosa didn't want you to talk to me."

"Babe."

It sounded stupid now. Ranger would never bow to any woman—not even me.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"Stop fighting so hard. You're creating resistance. If you make your husband feel like he is the only one in your life, he won't try so hard to control you."

His words were similar to the advice my father had given me.

"I know. Listen, I'm going to let you go. Have a good weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday?"

"Absolutely. Is Cal treating you well?"

"Too well. We'll talk about it Monday."

"Don't tell me he's got a crush on you."

"I don't know—maybe. Diesel's here. He's staying for a few days."

"I'm sorry I'll miss him." There was no denying the sarcasm in that statement. Diesel and Ranger were both alpha males. Cal thought himself an alpha male too, but he was no match for Diesel. Ranger, on the other hand, would make an interesting match up with Diesel. The funny thing is they both seemed to have respect for each other and managed to give each other a wide berth.

"I bet you are."

"Take care, babe."

"Bye, Carlos."

I hung up the phone and Cal was staring at me.

"What?"

"You're married? Cal looked crushed.

"I'm engaged."

"That's not what you said to Ranger. You said 'that's crazy, We're already married!"

_Oh boy…_

15


	24. Chapter 24

**So how is everybody? I've been crazy busy. I'm happy to say that by the end of 2011 I'd sold 100 copies of For the Love of Brynn. It's the first of my goals in sales. I've had people, who have read the book, seek me out on Facebook and that's pretty cool. I spent most of the day in this chair finishing this chapter of Plum Crazy. It's a good feeling to accomplish that. I hope you enjoy it.**

THE GUARDIAN

"So that's why you're living with Morelli," Diesel surmised.

"And why you were wearing that wedding ring around your neck," Cal added.

Diesel scratched his head. "But what I don't get is why the secret?"

"Our families. Our mothers in particular. They would flip out if they knew we tied the knot without them."

Cal threw in his own query. "Then why didn't you just wait until the day of the wedding?"

"There was a lot of crap going on. We were fighting all the time. It just seemed like an easy solution."

"But you're still fighting," Cal pointed out.

"True, but we know that since we are husband and wife that we have to make up."

"You are the only person I know who would get married and keep it a secret."

"And it better stay a secret. You hear me?"

"Sure, whatever you say, Mrs. Morelli," Diesel teased.

Cal didn't answer.

"Cal?"

"All right, but Ranger already knows."

"Ranger can keep a secret. Can you?"

"Fine."

Cal parked the car in the parking lot of the police precinct. Diesel opted to stay in the SUV. I got out and Cal was waiting for me. He looked dejected. I nuzzled up to him. "You're still my favorite bodyguard."

"O—kay."

We entered the station and I headed directly to Joe's desk. A few cops who knew me asked if I was all right and wished me a speedy recovery. Joe had his back to me. I thought I'd try the advice given to me.

"Hi, handsome."

Joe spun around and raised his eyebrow. "What's with the nickname?"

"Well you call me sweetheart and cupcake. I thought I should give you a nickname."

"I like 'Joe', he replied.

"Aww, don't you want me to call you snookum' or—I know! How about hot stuff?"

He leered at me. "I'll divorce you."

"I'll think of one that works."

"Joe works," he said adamantly.

"I came to get money for groceries. By the way, you never told me if Diesel can stay a few days."

"I suppose. It's just a _few_ days, right?"

"Right."

Joe reached into his pocket and retrieved his wallet. "How much do you need?"

"I don't know. It's food shopping with Diesel. Maybe fifty?"

"Here. Take my debit card."

"They won't let me use it."

"They won't even notice. Just sign your name to the receipt."

"Okay, if you say so."

"If you have a problem, have them call me. By the way where _is_ Diesel?"

"He's keeping a low profile."

"He's not on the run, is he?"

"I don't think so."

Joe made a face. "I'll see you later."

I stood directly in front of him. "Remember what I said this morning about wasting your life?"

"Yeah."

"Kiss me, lover!"

He leaned forward to give me a peck. I slid my hand to the back of his neck and pulled. I forced him to really kiss me in front of the whole precinct.

"Get a room!" one of the guys yelled.

"Sure, you gonna pay for it?" Joe yelled back. He tapped his finger on my nose. "_You_ are going to get me in trouble."

"Good, maybe they'll give you the next two weeks off."

"Sure they will—without pay."

"Oh, boy."

His lips twisted into a smile. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

"It's Diesel. He does this thing with his hands."

Joe raised his eyebrow. "Should I be jealous?"

"No, just be happy that I'm feeling frisky," I teased as I backed away.

The next stop was the supermarket. Diesel pushed the cart and Cal walked alongside of me.

"Cal, are you cookin' dinner?" Diesel asked.

"I can if you want."

"You know Stephanie may be gorgeous, but she can't cook worth a lick!"

"I can, too!" I said defensively.

"Darlin', I've stayed at your place. Your specialty is making reservations."

"Tell you what. I'll cook and Stephanie can help me. That way she'll learn. That's how I learned. I used to help my sister because my mother always worked late."

"What are we going to cook?"

"I'll make my specialty, chicken risotto."

"My mouth is watering already," Diesel chimed in.

"I think I better make a double batch."

We were like three kids playing in the supermarket. I got so many stares. One lady was staring intently at us. I pointed to my arm. "I arm wrestled Zeke here for a Krispy Crème donut and he broke my arm! Zeke gets a little crazy when it comes to sugar." The woman's eyes bugged out and she made a U-turn with her cart and scurried away. Diesel burst out laughing.

"You must be Zeke!" he said, pointing at Cal.

"Nuh-uh!" Cal replied.

"I happen to like my name," Diesel said confidently. "So it can't be me. What _is _Cal short for—Calvin?"

"It's a family name," Cal shot back.

"I think it's a nice name," I said in a sweet voice.

"Oh yeah? Then you should name your kid Calvin," Diesel dared.

"If this baby is a boy, he will be named after his father."

"So Morelli's insisting on a junior, huh?" Diesel replied.

"No. We haven't even discussed names yet, but I love the name Joseph."

So ended our conversation about baby names. We ended our trip to the supermarket with a trip to Red Box. Diesel and I picked out a few movies and we all headed for home.

As soon as we got in the door, I let Bob out in the backyard. The lawn looked like a warzone. There were piles of dog shit everywhere. I marched into the kitchen. "Give me a couple of those bags. I need to pick up all the dog crap in the yard."

Diesel accompanied me. He wanted to be chivalrous and pick up the dog doo, but I insisted. After all, Bob was my dog. So Diesel held the paper bag for me to deposit dried turds into. We were about halfway done when I noticed something shiny in the corner of the yard.

"What _is _that?" I said to Diesel.

"What?" Diesel replied.

"That." I walked toward the shiny object. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was my wedding ring! "Oh my God! It was here the whole time!"

"What?"

"My wedding ring! I lost it two days ago and we searched everywhere for it!"

"Okay, how the hell did it end up in the yard?"

"Joe and I have been wearing our wedding rings around our necks—to protect the secret. Mine ended up in my pants pocket when I was trying on wedding gowns. It must have fallen out somewhere, either here or at my mom's. Bob must have eaten it and then barfed it up out here."

He smiled. "So, I guess the wedding's back on?"

"You're so stupid."

"Yeah, but stupid suits me."

I rolled my eyes. I left Diesel to dispose the bag of crap in the trash while I marched into the house to clean my ring and its chain. I was so happy I cried. As soon as it was clean and dry I placed it around my neck. I felt married again. I couldn't wait to see Joe and show him. I decided I'd wait and surprise him when we were alone.

It was five o'clock when Cal and I started dinner. It would take an hour to prepare. I had fun working with Cal, but it was an eerie reminder of Dave Brewer. He had seemed like such a good man. Who knew he'd turn out to be a psycho?

"Cal?"

"Uh huh?"

"Have you heard about the dumpster murders?"

"Sure, I watch the news. Why do you ask?"

"Joe's been working on that case. I was just wondering if you had any inside info."

"Nope."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Sure, The last couple of days it's been you."

"Seriously."

"Not at the moment."

"Have you ever, you know, been close to marriage?"

"Once. Then I got the job with Rangeman. She didn't like all the secrecy. She thought I was cheating on her. She broke it off with me."

"Why didn't you quit Rangeman?"

"I like the job. I wasn't real smart in school. I'm mostly muscle."

_Try all muscle._

"You didn't try to convince her that you were only protecting Ranger's secrets?"

"Sure, I did. She told me to marry Ranger. Funny thing is I heard she got knocked up and she married the guy and then she cheated on him. I guess I was the lucky one."

_Oh, God. That could be my story. Lord, please give me the strength to be strong when I am with Ranger._

At about a quarter to six, Joe called. I answered it expecting him to tell me he'd be late.

"Hey, sweetheart. I've got good news."

"Me, too," I answered excited to hell him that I had found my ring.

"I found your ring."

"You did?" I said cautiously. I felt for the ring around my neck and inspected it. It was mine all right.

"You don't sound very excited."

"Oh!—No!—I am! Where did you find it?"

"One of the waitresses at Pino's picked it up."

"Which one?"

"Laura, the one who took my order that day. I thanked her and gave her twenty dollars."

"Good."

"What was your good news?"

"Um." _Think fast. _"I cooked dinner! I mean I helped Cal, but I wrote down the recipe, so I can cook it again."

"Cal cooks?"

"Yeah, we made chicken risotto and it's almost ready. Are you coming home?"

"I should be finished here in about a half hour. So I'll be home about six-thirty."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

I hung up the phone and looked at Diesel who was sitting at the table. "Joe found my ring."

"What ring?"

I pulled the chain with my ring from around my neck. "This ring."

"How could he find the ring that you already found?"

"He didn't. He must have gone out and bought another one."

"Sneaky," Diesel replied.

"I think it's sweet," Cal said from behind me. "He knew how much the ring meant to you and the lie is better than seeing you sad."

"But it's not the same ring," I protested.

"So let him give you the new ring. Tonight, you can switch it out. You'll have your original ring back and Joe will think he pulled off the perfect scam. Everybody's happy," Diesel exclaimed.

And so the plan was set. Each of us would lie to the other with the intention of pleasing the other. I removed the chain with my ring and placed it in my dresser drawer. I wondered if I thanked Laura at Pino's if she would acknowledge the find or look art me like I was insane. I decided to preserve his scam. I would never seek her out to thank her.

Joe came home right at six-thirty as promised. Hector had left earlier in the day. He said he would return to test the system once Joe was home. As soon as Joe arrived Cal confirmed with Joe that he was in for the night. Cal gave Joe his cell number in case Joe was called in for in emergency case and Cal was needed to stay with me. I thanked Cal for everything and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed.

Diesel informed us that Flash was picking him up and he'd be back before eleven. He said his man was on the move, so he was on the move. Ten minutes after Joe got home; it was only him and me. I had dinner still warm on the stove. The table was set for two. I set the salad bowl on the table. Joe had gone to the bathroom to wash up. I turned to go back to the kitchen and Joe was standing in front of me. He pulled me into his arms.

"Shhh!" I said as I placed my finger over my lips. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he answered cautiously.

"Silence!"

He smiled. "I guess you've had a busy day."

"It was like being with two high school jocks. Cal was the sensitive one and Diesel was—well, he was Diesel."

"I think Cal has a crush on you."

"Yeah, all the boys love me," I cooed.

"Maybe I'll build a tower and put you in it and I'll be the only one with a key to get in it."

"Yeah, right. Like that will stop them. Every one of these guys can pick a lock except Diesel. He just seems to have this power."

"Well he may be able to pass through a locked door, but can he get past the security cameras?"

"I don't know. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starved."

"Good. Sit."

Joe pulled out a chair and sat at the table. "We're having salad?"

"Very funny." I turned and padded off to the kitchen. I doled out the risotto onto the plates. It was good thing that Cal made that double batch because Diesel ate his share and then some. I realized I couldn't carry both plates at the same time. I was about to pick up one of the plates when the sound of Joe's voice scared the hell out of me.

"I love seeing you like this."

He was leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest.

"Jesus! You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I thought you might need help."

"Actually I…"

Joe was already at the counter. "Let me carry these for you." He picked up the plates. "Smells fantastic."

I followed Joe into the dining room. He set the plates on the table. "Don't sit," he said abruptly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I see this delicious dinner that my gorgeous wife cooked and I can't think of a better time to give her back the ring that she was so desperate to find." Joe pulled the chains from his neck and each had a distinct ring dangling from it. My ring was on the shorter chain. He separated the chains and slipped his back over his head. I bowed my head and he slid it into place around my neck. I immediately picked up the ring and inspected it. It was a perfect match to the original ring.

He pulled me into his arms. "Now this time, don't take it off."

"I won't." I put my good arm around his neck. "I love you, Joe Morelli."

"I know you do and I'm sorry I'm so jealous."

"I'm jealous, too. I guess we're both afraid that we're not good enough for each other."

"Oh, I _know _I'm good enough for you. I just don't know if you know that."

"Well I do. Now kiss me and we'll eat."

"You're gonna make me kiss you when you know how much I hate it?" A sly grin crossed his face.

"No, you don't have to kiss me," I said as if I didn't care.

He put both hands on my face and gave me the kind of kiss that let me know he loved me but without the passion that would have led to sex. We sat and I waited for Joe to take the first bite. I was praying he would like it. He chewed slowly and then swallowed.

"You said Cal made this?"

"We did it together," I said proudly.

"This is primo. Was it hard to make?"

"Not really. The hard part was cutting up the ingredients. The chicken breasts had to be cut up and fried. That was kind of disgusting."

"Well you did a great job."

"Thank you!" I was beaming. "I rented movies for us to watch tonight."

"I thought we were going to go over the list for the wedding."

"We have all weekend. I just want to snuggle on the couch."

"How's the security system working?"

"Crap! You were supposed to call Hector. He was going to come over and test it."

"I'll call him after we finish eating."

The rest of the evening went well. Joe did the dishes. I took more Tylenol. Hector came over and tested the system and showed us how to set it. We were each given a fob to pass through the door without setting it off. Then Joe and I settled on the couch and watched a movie. It was a romantic story, and of course, I cried.

Diesel came home just after we started the second movie. It was an action adventure movie that Diesel had picked out. A real guy flick. About halfway through the movie, I fell asleep in Joe's arms.

I vaguely remembered going to bed. I woke in the morning. I had slept through the night which was a good thing. I was still wearing my bra and shirt and panties although my jeans were draped over the chair along with the sling for my arm. Joe was already up.

I brushed my teeth. I really wanted to take a shower, but I was still unable to use my right arm without a lot of pain. The doctor wasn't kidding when he said it would be a while before I could use my arm again. The arm worked just fine, but the pain in my collarbone wasn't worth the effort. Yesterday, Diesel's magic hands helped a lot. I was even able to cut up the chicken. Maybe it was because cutting required little movement. _Note to self, don't get shot even if you're wearing a vest._ Now that I thought about it, airbags are the same way. They will most likely save your life, but it doesn't mean you won't still get hurt. My cousin, Jeanine, is really short and she got into a car accident and the airbag broke her nose. It's never been quite right since. I walked to the edge of the stairs and called down, "_Joe!_"

Diesel appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Wow! Looking good, seniorita. Need some help getting the rest of those clothes off?"

"Where's Joe?"

"He said he had to go in this morning and finish up some stuff. He said he'd be home by noon."

"Crap! I wanted to take a shower."

"I'd be happy to shower with you—you know—make sure you get all clean."

"Ha ha. I just can't get this shirt and my bra off."

He laughed. "So you _do _need me to help you out of those clothes," he said smugly.

I sighed, "yes."

Diesel took the stairs in four large leaps. "Hmmmm, taking your clothes off for me two days in a row. What will people think?"

"Can't you just be helpful without being lecherous?"

"No, I don't think I can. You know, in a few years, you'll long for the days when men fell over themselves for you."

"Thanks."

I retrieved a clean bra and panties from the dresser. I was reminded by the glimpse of silver in the drawer that I hadn't switched out the new ring for the old ring. I pulled the original ring from its hiding place and stared at it. Memories of the day in the courthouse came flooding back. Joe almost left me that day because of Ranger. I shuddered at the thought of losing Joe. I kissed the ring and placed it around my neck. I took the new ring and hid it in a sock in my drawer. I turned around with tears in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Diesel asked.

"I'm never taking this off."

He pulled me into his massive arms. "You're gonna have to when you officially marry him. It's customary to wear the ring on your finger," he joked.

"Ha ha!" I said sarcastically. "Help me get this shirt off, so I can shower."

He spoke as he helped me ease my good arm out of the shirt. "I am grateful for the day I was dropped into your apartment."

I turned around, so he could unhook my bra. "I am, too."

I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door before allowing my bra to fall away from my breasts.

"_I'm right here if you need help!_" Diesel yelled from the other side of the door.

"You just stay on that side," I yelled back. Showering was awkward at best. I had to use my left hand to do everything. The pain in my collarbone was constant, but I managed. I donned my panties and pulled my bra into place. I managed to tuck a towel under my arms covering the front half of my body before I opened the door.

Diesel was lounging on the bed. He bounced off the mattress and was in front of me in seconds. I turned around. Diesel brushed my wet hair over my shoulder. He slowly grazed his fingertips down the center of my spine. I felt my nipples harden.

"Diesel, please."

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled the towel away revealing my abdomen. "I love it when you beg."

"Diesel!" I cried in frustration.

"You know it's too bad you've taken yourself off the market." He caressed my belly. "This little guy has a lot of energy."

"Are you saying it's a boy?"

"Well, one of them is."

"Are you telling me I'm having twins?"

Diesel let out a roar of laughter. "Princess, you are so gullible."

"Just hook my bra, so I can get dressed," I growled in frustration.

Diesel sighed and then complied with my wishes. He dropped back on the bed and propped up his head with his elbow. He watched me as I moved about the room searching for the clothing I wanted to wear. "Would you stop ogling me?"

"Not even for a second."

I pulled one of my favorite sweaters from the dresser. I wanted to look nice for Joe. My jeans were getting tight.

"Gaining a little weight?" Diesel teased as he watched me struggle to get them on.

"Would you please shut up and help me?"

He scrambled to get up. "You know, if I wasn't here, Cal would be. Would you let him see you like this?"

"Are you crazy? He has a crush on me!"

"I have a crush on you. I haven't had sex in a month. I'm feeling really needy." He smiled at me, and those gorgeous dimples popped out.

"You want me to find a girl for you? I know a waitress at Pino's."

"Does she look like you?"

"No."

"I'll pass."

Diesel helped me finished getting dressed.

"Maybe you could make some French toast for breakfast," he asked.

"I cooked last night."

"Princess, married women cook every day."

"Can't we go out for breakfast?"

"We could if we had a car."

"Fine, I'll make breakfast, if you'll do that thing with your hands."

"You know, there are other parts of me that are even more magical."

"Then why haven't you gotten laid in a month?" I countered.

"I'm picky about who gets to receive my magic," Diesel shot back.

_Oh, boy…_

"Come on. Let's make breakfast," I replied.

We worked together to make French toast and I managed to do it without burning the toast or myself.

After breakfast, I spent the rest of the morning going over the list of guests for the wedding. I was able to write as long as my elbow was resting on the table and I was sitting up straight. If I curled my shoulders, I felt pain. Diesel was reading through some information that Flash had acquired for him. Every time I would lean forward, I'd wince from the pain.

"Come here. Let me help you."

"You don't even know these people."

"I meant your pain."

"Oh." He lifted my sweater and helped me out of it. He rubbed his hands together like the day before and then laid them over the bruised area of my collar bone. The pain immediately dissipated. The TV was on in the living room, and we never heard Joe come in. He entered the kitchen and witnessed me say "That feels good."

"What the fuck?" Joe bellowed.

He scared the crap out of me, and I immediately backed away.

"I was helping your wife," Diesel said in his defense.

"It seems to me like you were helping yourself _to _my wife."

"Joseph!" I scolded. "I told you he has magic hands. He was helping me with the pain."

"Well, excuse me if I don't want other men seeing my wife in a state of undress!" he barked.

"Well, you tell me how the hell am I supposed to take a shower if I can't get my clothes off?"

"He took all your clothes off?"

"It's not what you think, man," Diesel replied.

"Get out of my house."

"No! Diesel is not going anywhere," I said in his defense.

"Stephanie, I just needed a place to stay. I did not come here to destroy anyone's relationship," Diesel explained.

"It's not fair!" I said to Joe. "You are pushing away all the people I am close to!"

"You mean all the guys that want to get between your legs?"

My reaction was swift. I hauled off and slapped him.

"What's the matter? Truth hurt?"

I was livid. I took the ring from my neck and laid it on the table. "More than you know."

I grabbed my sweater from the table and carefully slid it over my bad arm. "Let me help you," Diesel offered.

"No!" I pulled away from him. I sucked up the pain and pulled the sweater over my head with both arms. I stifled a whimper. I marched upstairs and grabbed socks and shoes.

I was sitting on the bed tying my shoes when Joe entered the bedroom. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To my apartment."

"Mattie is living there."

"Yeah, so I'll sleep with him. Just one more guy in my long line of fuck buddies."

Joe closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"You know what? I don't give a shit. I'm not the right girl for you. You want someone who's barefoot and pregnant, who will do everything you want when you want it. Maybe a nice blonde with no brain!"

I got up to go past him, and he blocked me.

"Get out of my way!"

He held me still. "Stephanie, I came in the door and found Diesel with his hand on your breasts! What was I supposed to think?"

"It was my collarbone, not my breast!" I was hysterical by this point.

"You had no shirt on!"

"Because it doesn't work unless it's skin on skin!"

"But he took your clothes off, so you could shower."

"Would you rather I called Cal?"

"What about your sister, or your mother? Or Lula for Christ's sake!"

"Diesel was here. He's seen me in my underwear before. He's slept in the same bed with me." As soon as I said I knew I was screwed.

"You fucked him?"

"NO!"

Joe walked out of the bedroom and into the hall. I took the opportunity to flee. I was halfway down the stairs when I heard a horrible sound. It was the sound of cracking wood. I ran to the kitchen for my purse and found a note on the counter. It read: It's better that I go. If you ever need me, just yell my name. I'll hear you. That's a promise.—Diesel.

I threw the note on the floor and ran out of the house. I was walking toward my apartment. It was about two miles from Joe's house. It was cold. There was a stiff wind blowing at me, and I had tears streaming down my cheeks.

I got about two blocks before Joe's SUV came flying around the corner. He pulled up onto the curb and blocked my path. He was out of the vehicle in a flash.

"Get in the car, Stephanie."

"No."

"I—am—not—playing! Get in the fucking car!" He looked like he was going to beat the crap out of me.

I started to cry. "Joe, you're scaring me!"

He stepped back and wiped his mouth. "I'm not going to lose you over this. I walked in and witnessed something. I wish I hadn't. I guess I jumped to conclusions. I'm sorry."

"I just wanted to take a shower, so I would be clean and then I wanted the pain to go away."

He pulled me into his arms. "I know." I buried my face in his chest. "I love you Stephanie, but it seems like every guy that comes near you wants a piece of you."

"You just have to trust me."

"I want to trust you, sweetheart. You're just so naïve sometimes."

"I'm thirty-four years old. I am not naïve."

"Will you come home?"

"Will you apologize to Diesel?"

"He's gone."

"I know, but he might come back if I call him."

"I read the note. Do you really think he can hear you?"

"I don't know. I know that Diesel is different from us. I can't pinpoint why exactly, but sometimes I think he is meant to be here for me."

Joe chuckled. "Maybe he's your guardian angel."

"Maybe he is."

11


	25. Chapter 25

SO, I just saw One for the Money and I have to admit, Jason O'Malley was a great choice to play Joe Morelli. He reminds me of Mel Gibson back in his hotty days. He and Stephanie (Katherine Heigl) had good chemistry. Ranger was a disappointment. Sorry but that Ranger was so NOT Cuban. I wasn't crazy about the choices for for Stephanie's family either. Grandma should have been older and weaker. Mom should have been thinner. Dad thinner, too, more like Vinnie. I liked Vinnie. Good job there and Lula was spot on. But again, for me, Morelli stole the show, cupcake.

A GRAND AFFAIR

Joe ushered me to the SUV. He held the door open and I got in. He closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. I saw a woman watching us from the window of her two-story duplex. Joe was about to get into the car when two police cruisers came speeding down the street, sirens blaring and lights flashing. They blocked Joe from moving the car. I guess the nosey old lady called the cops when she saw Joe jump the curb. The officer in the car in front jumped out of his cruiser and walked toward Joe. I recognized him immediately. It was Brian Simon, original owner of Bob.

While Brian spoke to Joe, the officer from the cruiser behind us walked to my side of the vehicle and tapped on my door. I rolled down the window. I didn't know this officer. He was very young. Young usually meant cocky.

"Miss, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We had an argument and I got mad. I needed to walk. Joe just wanted to apologize."

"Well, he shouldn't be pulling up onto the sidewalk. That's reckless driving."

"He's a cop," I explained.

The officer stood up and addressed Brian across the hood of the SUV. "He's a cop?"

"Yeah, Joe Morelli and you are talking to the Burg's famous Stephanie Plum."

"Holy shit!" He leaned back into the car. "I heard you got shot protecting a Rangeman employee."

"I was wearing a vest."

"I just want to say I'd take you on my team anytime."

"Thank you."

Joe plunked down into the driver's seat. "Can we go now?" Joe asked obviously annoyed with the situation.

"Absolutely, Officer Morelli. You take care of this little girl."

"Yeah, I'll do that," he scowled.

The officer backed away from the window and headed back to his cruiser. I rolled the window up. "Joe, you didn't have to be so rude."

"Did you see that? The guy just met you, and he's already got a crush on you!"

"No, he doesn't. He was just being nice."

"It's God damned embarrassing being pulled over for domestic abuse," he growled.

"Well, you were pretty pissed off when you got out of the car. Are you planning on going there again? Maybe I should get out now."

"No," he said in a calm voice.

I leaned across the console. "Can I get a kiss?"

Joe leaned in and gave me a quick peck. The officer behind us was still parked.

"More," I demanded.

"Can I get off the sidewalk before someone else comes along and tickets me?"

"Sure, if we die in a tragic accident on the way home, I hope you're okay with turning me down."

Joe growled. He placed his hand on my face and gave me another kiss. This one lasted about ten seconds and included tongue.

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

Carl was already gone. Joe started the car and pulled into the street. The officer behind us pulled out as well and followed us to the end of the street. We turned left toward home and the cruiser turned right.

"I'll never live this down at the precinct," he lamented.

I tried to put a positive spin on it. "Maybe you'll get a few more guys to place bets on the wedding."

"Lately, I'm almost tempted to bet against myself."

"Why? Do you think I would stand you up?"

"Yes!—no!—I don't know what to think anymore."

I was hurt by his answer. I stared out the window at the row houses with their neat postage stamp lawns.

"Steph, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

I continued to stare out the window. I didn't want to fight, but it seemed as though Joe was still angry. Joe pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. He reached over and grabbed my hand. I pulled it away and opened the door. I quickly angled my way out of the SUV. Joe caught up to me as I reached the steps.

"Let me put Bob in the back yard."

I didn't answer him.

Joe climbed the steps and opened the front door. Bob tried to scramble past Joe, but he snagged him and dragged him back into the house. I, in turn, climbed the steps and entered the house. Joe was out back with Bob. I was depressed and tired. I hated fighting with Joe. I dragged myself up the stairs. The first thing I noticed was the gaping hole in the spare room door. I entered the bedroom and unzipped my jacket. I let it slide off of my arms to the floor and I plopped on the bed. I crawled under the covers.

"_Steph?_" I heard Joe call out from downstairs. "_Stephanie?_" he called again. I heard him sprint up the stairs and into the bedroom. "Stephanie, what are you doing?"

"I don't feel good," I muttered.

"Is it because you're still mad at me?"

"No," I lied.

Joe sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the covers back exposing my upper body. "What if I let you call me snookums?"

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of calling Officer Joe Morelli, hard-nosed Italian stallion, snookums. "Would you really let me call you snookums?"

"Hell, no! But I got you to smile, didn't I?" He brushed his fingers lightly across my lips. "You know, yesterday you said you were frisky. What can I do to get you in the mood?"

"Take your clothes off," I said adamantly.

Joe rolled off the bed and immediately began to peel his clothes off. When he was naked, he dove onto the bed.

"Get up," I ordered.

"Steph, a little persuasive action might help," he replied.

"I meant stand up."

"What?" He was clearly confused.

"Get off the bed!"

"Why?"

"Just _do_ it!"

He rubbed his hands together. Are you gonna suck my dick?"

"Maybe." I hadn't planned on it, but it wasn't a bad idea. I loved Joe's dick. Joe sprang off the bed. "Now get into your cop stance."

"My what?"

"You know your cop stance. Put your hands on your hips and rest all your weight on that foot."

He grinned. "You mean like this?" He struck the pose that he always did whenever he scrutinized something.

"Oh, yeah. That's it."

He raised an eyebrow. "You find this sexy?"

"Hell, yes. That's the pose that got me behind the cannoli case."

"So, does this work with clothes on?"

"Either way."

"Good to know."

I climbed out of the bed. "Do you want my services clothes on or off?" I asked as I stood in front of him.

"Clothes off. That way there's no interruption when it's my turn to please you."

Joe helped me remove my sweater and my bra. Of course, he kissed and caressed my breasts before I lowered myself to my knees. By now, Joe was semi-hard. I began to lick him like an ice-cream cone and his hard-on reached full strength in less than a minute. I went to work on him allowing his dick to slide into my mouth slowly. Joe was very verbal in his assessment of my actions. I had been afraid that it would be difficult to use my left hand, but surprisingly, it wasn't. I knew Joe was getting close when he grabbed my head and began to drive it home. Besides being deep throated against my will, he was pulling me off balance and regaining that balance meant using my shoulders. Using my shoulders meant pain.

"Joe, stop!" I mumbled as best I could considering I had a mouth full of dick. I slapped him in the thighs as I said it. He released my head and I fell backwards onto my ass.

"I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away."

"Ya think?"

He knelt down next to me. "It just felt so good."

"It's not that I didn't enjoy doing it, but…"

"I understand. Why don't you lie down on the bed and let me administer a little first aid."

"That sounds like a plan to me." I was expecting the full treatment. Joe helped me up and onto the bed.

"I'll be right back," he said softly as he kissed the tip of my nose.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the Tylenol, of course." And just like that, he was gone. He returned a minute later with a couple of pills and a glass of water. "Here you go."

I made a face. "This isn't what I had in mind."

"No?"

"No!" I put on a pouty face.

"Here, lie back." He leaned over and kissed me. "It's good to see that you've managed to keep your ring almost a whole twenty-four hours."

"I told you, I'm never taking it off."

He kissed me again. His kiss was gentle and his tongue moved slowly in a circle around mine. "Is this better?"

"A little," I said coyly.

He kissed me below the ear on my right side and then moved carefully over the bruise at the break in my collarbone. He kissed it gently and then kissed my neck on the left side. My nipples stood at attention.

"How about now?"

"That's pretty nice."

He moved to my breasts using both hands to caress them. He sucked on each nipple before moving to my belly. It was here that he did something unexpected. He spoke, but he wasn't speaking to me.

"Hey, princess. How are you doin' in there? Soon, me and your mommy will get to see our first pictures of you. I can't wait."

I felt nervous. "You think they'll do a sonogram?"

"Your sister told me it's routine now on the first visit."

"Wow."

He went back to speaking to the baby. "Now, be a good girl and let me make mommy happy." He kissed my belly and continued to go lower until he parted my legs by caressing my thighs and gently pulling them apart. Joe was never one to disappoint and today was no different. A shiver ran up my belly to my breasts. I placed my feet on his shoulders. Joe used one finger to tease me as he continued to tickle me with his tongue. I wanted so badly for him to ram his fingers into me, but he wouldn't. He continued to tease the opening to my vagina with that one finger, I started to squirm, lifting my hips in hopes he would respond, but he wouldn't take the bait. Finally, he shoved one finger into me as he sucked on my clit, and I gasped from the sensation that rushed through my body. I could feel my body preparing to orgasm. _Yes, yes, YES! _I gripped the blanket with my hands and my body tightened. I breathed out a long, low moan drinking in the pure exhilaration it produced.

Then as suddenly as the climax came, I became over stimulated and like a child who was being viciously tickled, I pushed with me feet. Joe almost fell off the bottom of the bed. "Stop!" I giggled. Joe got up on his knees. His hard-on was raging. He parted my legs again and crawled over me.

"You like that?" He was proud of his accomplishment.

"I like everything about you, Joe Morelli."

"Good. I hope you'll like this." He slowly pushed his way into me. "Tell me if I hurt you."

"It feels good," I whispered.

"I meant your collarbone."

"Oh."

He leaned forward and kissed me. I can't say there was no pain, but since he hadn't had an orgasm and I did, I thought the pain was bearable for his sake. Ten minutes later, Joe finally released the tension and fury he had been holding inside. His body spasmed and he threw his head back like a great lion and roared his accomplishment. I giggled because I was happy, for both of us. He lay on the bed next to me and kissed me on the cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I'm awesome."

"Do you know the only time we don't fight is when we are having sex?"

"Then maybe as soon as you feel your temperature rising, we should have sex."

"I'm up for that," he replied enthusiastically.

I touched his now defunct erection. "Um—no—you're not."

"I'm not mad at you right now," he said in his defense.

"So what if you don't get mad at me? Then, what?"

Joe made a face at me. "Seriously?" He leaned in and kissed me briefly on the lips. "How would you like to go out to eat?"

"Now, you're speaking my language, loverboy."

"Loverboy—really?"

"No?"

Joe shook his head. "No."

"It'll come to me."

"Cupcake, I've been in your life for almost five years. If it hasn't come to you by now, it's not going to come."

"Then I'll just have to call you snookums."

He shook his head as he pulled his boxers on. "You know, I'm not really taking you out to eat. We have an appointment at Grand Affair at four o'clock. They have several events tonight, so we can go and sample some of the hors d'oeuvres and main courses they are preparing today."

"That sounds like fun!"

"You want to work on the guest list until then?"

"Sure."

Joe and I spent the rest of the afternoon filling out the envelopes for the invitations we were sending. In many cases we had to call the person invited to get their address. Most of the people on Joe's mom's list were invited. Joe only nixed a few he said he really didn't know. My mom called and invited us for Sunday dinner and we accepted figuring we'd have plenty to report on the wedding after our trip to Grand Affair.

I'm not sure if it was the sex that relaxed me or if I was healing, but the pain was not nearly as bad as it had been for the last few days.

We had seventy invitations completed by the time we had to leave for The Grand Affair. Tomorrow, we would have to finish the rest of the invitations. We arrived for our appointment a few minutes early.

We were assigned a wedding planner. His name was Peter. I noticed another couple speaking to their planner. They were dressed nicely. He was wearing a suit without the tie and she was wearing a dress with low heels. Joe and I were both in jeans. He was wearing a V-neck knit top and I was wearing a sweater. I was wearing sneakers and Joe was wearing hiking boots. Peter finally appeared. He was wearing grey dress pants and a European cut dress shirt with a mauve tie. He looked to be in his late twenties and his hair was full and brushed back behind his ears. He spoke with a fake English accent and he was flamboyant. It didn't bother me, but I could tell that Joe was bit uncomfortable. Joe was as homophobic as they come. The only reason he put up with Sally's alternative dress was because he knew that in reality, Sally was as straight as he was. Peter was cute in a feminine sort of way. One look at his eyebrows reminded me that I needed to get mine done. Even his nails looked better than mine. _Note to self: go to the nail salon and get the full treatment—TOMORROW!_

Peter gave us the once over and then introduced himself. He sounded just a little disappointed that he didn't get the nicely dressed couple. First, he showed us the room we would be using. It sat up to two hundred and fifty people. We were sending out one hundred invitations. Worst case scenario, we would have 200 people at the wedding. I shuddered at the thought.

The room was large with three huge amber-colored crystal chandeliers. Peter informed us that we had to make choices on the linen, dinnerware, and flatware. He said they also had several florists that they worked with. They even had a house band who just happened to be playing for a wedding tonight.

"What do you think?" Joe asked.

"I thought we were going to go with a D.J."

"It couldn't hurt to check them out," Joe pointed out.

Peter suggested we go home and change after we finished our food tasting and menu selection. He said he would put us on the observe list, which meant we could sit on the outskirts of the room and observe the band for an hour.

We chose the linen and the plates and the silverware pretty quickly. One thing about Joe and I, we had very similar tastes. I chuckled at the thought that if it had been me and Ranger, he'd be going for black. We chose plates with large champagne colored flowers in the center and gold edges. We chose black table clothes criss-crossed over a muted gold. The silverware was also gold in color. I envisioned my centerpieces in my mind.

"Joe. I know what the centerpieces will look like. I wanted cylindrical glass with gardenias and black branches and strands of fake pearls running through it." It was difficult to describe, but Joe could see that I was getting excited about the wedding.

"You can get whatever you want."

"Maybe I'll go to Michael's and see if I can make it myself."

"Sounds like you've got plans for Monday. See, you won't even miss working."

"That's one day, Joe, besides I have my doctor's appointment, remember?"

"Right. We get to see the baby." He smiled.

Peter returned to us and handed us brochures on photographers and florists. Then he took us to the kitchen. "This is where our chefs create," he said as he led us past several stoves each emitting a different and yet enchanting smell. I was starving. I saw a tray filled with a smorgasbord of appetizers. I was hoping it was for us. Peter led us to a small private dining room. He advised us to sit next to each other to make it easier to read the diagram. One of the kitchen staff appeared carrying the exact tray I had been ogling. Peter placed the diagram he mentioned on the table. It listed the items on the tray in the exact spots that they had been placed, like the inside of a chocolate box, only it was hand written. He handed each of us a card that listed all of the hors d'oeuvres.

Peter suggested that we start at twelve o'clock on the tray and work our way clockwise. The items not on the tray were crossed off on the cards. There were sixteen different foods on the tray. He instructed us to each make notes on the card and to compare the results afterwards.

"Would like a glass of our house wine? It is a fabulous merlot."

"Got any beer?" Joe asked.

"No," he said rather curtly.

Joe shot me a quick look. "Sure, I'll have a glass. Stephanie won't be drinking alcohol."

Peter looked like someone shoved a stick up his ass. He looked down his nose at me like I was a recovering alcoholic. "Coca cola?" he asked still using the fake accent.

"Diet, please."

He walked out of the room. Joe and I burst out laughing.

"He's kidding, right?" Joe asked.

"I guess he takes his position seriously."

Joe laughed even harder. "Position—oh that's rich."

"Stop it! He's going to come back."

"Okay, let's just concentrate on the food. He said to start with this. It says on the diagram that it is spinach and feta stuffed mushroom caps, topped with parmesan cheese."

We each picked up a mushroom cap and bit into it.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, still chewing. "This is delicious!"

"So write it down," Joe instructed.

Peter came back with the drinks. He also brought water.

"You should cleanse your palate between each serving. It will help bring out the true flavor of the food." Now the English accent was gone, replaced with a French accent.

"What happened to your English accent?" Joe asked.

"I am European. I have many accents," he replied.

_Oh, boy. _I kicked Joe under the table, and he reeled in the smile that was fighting to break free.

"The mushroom caps were fabulous!" I said trying to break the tension.

"Oui, that is one of our most popular dishes."

"I can see why."

"I will leave you now. I have another couple that I am meeting with. I shall return in thirty minutes, oui?"

"Oui," Joe replied with a huge smile.

He again left the room and Joe couldn't hold back the laughter. He actually had tears in his eyes—he was laughing so hard. I tried my hardest to reel him in. Since we were sitting next to each other, I did the one thing that I knew would bring him back to reality. I grabbed his package.

He jumped. "Hey!"

_Well that got his attention. _"Can you please focus on the reason we're here?"

"Well not when you're grabbing my dick! Don't worry. I'll take care of you when we get home."

"I just wanted you to stop laughing at our wedding planner."

"Come on, Steph. Can that guy be any more fake? He's probably not even gay."

"Oh, he's gay all right."

Joe took his wallet out of his back pocket and set it on the table. Then, he retrieved his shield from his coat and pinned it to his wallet.

"Joe, what are you doing?"

"Let's see how stuck up he is now."

"Joe, be nice."

"Hey, I'm always nice—especially when she's pretty."

"You mean like Anarosa."

Joe picked up the second item off the tray. "This looks good."

"You deliberately ignored me."

"Because I love you. Now taste this." He held the spring roll up for me to taste. I bit into it. It was good, but it didn't measure up to the mushroom caps.

"This is okay, but we can only choose three, right?"

"I think we get four if we choose the most expensive menu."

"Joe, don't you think that's a little extravagant?"

"I only plan to get married once."

"Well, technically, you're getting married twice. You're just marrying the same woman both times."

"I'd marry you ten times, if that's what it takes to keep you."

"Awwwww!" I leaned over and kissed him.

"Okay, so no to number two."

"Right."

We continued to try each appetizer. The ones we liked we marked and the ones we didn't like we crossed off. In the end there were seven left, and we couldn't decide which ones we liked.

Peter entered the room and his eyes immediately focused on the police badge.

"So how are we all doing?" His accent was clearly Jersey.

"We can't decide," I lamented.

"Okay, how many are you down to?"

"Seven," Joe replied.

"Let me see your card and I'll see if I can get a second helping. Usually, a second taste helps in the decision making."

"Well, that would be real nice of you," Joe said with a smile.

"Anything for Trenton's finest."

Joe shot me a look and then looked back at Peter. "I'll take another glass of wine while you're at it."

"You're not on duty, right?" Peter asked.

Joe looked him dead in the eyes. "Sweetheart, I'm homicide. I'm always on duty." Peter nodded and picked up the tray. Then he turned and sashayed away.

"Joseph, you called him sweetheart."

"And?"

"You're killing me."

"No, I'm not. I'm killing him—with kindness. You told me to be nice."

I rolled my eyes.

Joe took my hand in his. "I'm enjoying myself."

"I see that. I guess I should plan on driving home."

"Steph, I've only had one glass of wine."

"I know. I just don't want you to feel like you have to stop enjoying yourself."

"Cupcake, I'm enjoying myself because I'm with you."

"You want sex again tonight, don't you?"

"Am I that transparent?"

Peter returned with the tray of appetizers before I could answer him.

"I managed to get them all. I'll bring your wine in a minute. Would you like another diet coke?"

"You know what. Nix the wine. I'll take a sprite if you've got it."

"Very good," Peter replied before he left the room.

I looked at Joe. "Thank you."

Joe and I tasted our second round and we finally agreed on four after Joe talked me into going for the expensive menu. As much as I loved sweets, I thought having a chocolate waterfall and wedding cake was a bit much. I still wasn't completely sold on the Gala menu.

"Are we ready for the main courses?"

"Absolutely," Joe replied.

"I've got most of your choices here. I couldn't get the lasagna or the roasted pork, but I have the other six. You can choose three for the Gala menu."

It was surprisingly easy for us to choose. We were in agreement on two of them. The third was a toss up.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart. You choose."

"Really?"

"Promise."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, I think we should stick with the two entrees we agreed upon and cut back one of the hors d'oeuvres and go for the Fiesta menu. It will save us eight hundred dollars especially if we end up inviting two hundred people."

"Now, see? That's why I love you."

"I thought it was because I'm good in bed."

"Nah, that's just a plus."

We made some hard decisions and completed our menu. It looked like this:

_Joseph and Stephanie's Wedding Menu_

_Hors d'oeuvres_

_Spinach and Feta Stuffed Mushroom Caps topped with Parmesan Cheese_

_Crispy Asparagus with Asiago and Fontina Cheese wrapped & baked in Puff Pastry_

_Citrus seared Rosemary Scallops on Bamboo Skewers_

_Winter Salad with Apples and White Cheddar_

_Chicken Scaloppini with Lemon Butter Linguini_

_Sliced Tenderloin of Beef with Port Wine Shallot Sauce_

_Roasted Red Potatoes_

_Whole Green Beans with Slivered Almonds_

_Fresh Baked Flaky Croissants_

_Wedding Cake_

We arrived home and I felt like a stuffed chicken. Joe pulled me into his arms.

"Are you ready for bed?" His eyes got dark. He kissed me and I went into a daze. _Mmmmmmm,_ I thought to myself. _Dessert._

Suddenly, Joe's phone began to ring.

"Fuck!"

"Don't answer it," I pleaded.

"I have to."

Joe picked up the phone. "Yeah?"… "No."… "I tagged it."… "Look in the box marked Huyler Street, victim number three."… "Sure. I'll be in at eight."… "Thanks, man." Joe hung up.

"You don't have to go in?" I asked, hoping I was right.

"No, not till the morning." Joe began to dial a number on his phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Your buddy, Cal."

"Why?"

"I'm not leaving you here alone. Did you know when you took off on me today, I saw a burgundy corvette pass us when Brian was talking to me?"

"You don't think…"

"That's exactly what I think." Joe began to speak into the phone. "Hey, Cal. If you get this message, call me. I have to go to work in the morning for a few hours and I don't want to leave Stephanie alone. If I don't hear from you, then I guess I'll drop her at her mother's." He hung up and pushed the phone into his pocket. "Now, where were we?"

"Um, you were going to make me a very happy girl."

"Right."

Needless to say, we never did make it back to see the band at Grand Affair.


	26. Chapter 26

**So, I want to give a special shout out to a young lady named Barbie who took it upon herself to start a fan club on FanPop for my book, For the Love of Brynn. It was very sweet of you. I hope one day we will meet.**

**I also want to thank my anonymous reviewers since I can't write you back: cupcake love, kaka, jenna, and Samantha.**

**As well as the new readers who have reviewed or added Plum Crazy to their favs or alert list: jenio1, , srmohler13, fran40, Megsmom, Miraloo, and ourducky.**

**Thank all of you!**

MEN

I woke to Joe's phone ringing. Joe reached across my body to the nightstand. "Hello?"… "Okay, I'll be right down." Joe disconnected. "Your knight in ebony armor is here."

"Ranger's here?" I realized immediately that I probably said it a little too hopefully.

Joe grimaced. "Cal's here."

I tried to cover. "Great. Maybe he can teach me how to make something extravagant for breakfast like crepes!"

Joe went to the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth. When he finished he sat on the bed and put on his pants. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Sometimes," I answered truthfully.

"Do you ever miss me?"

"All the time."

"You've never been a good liar."

"That's why I didn't lie." Joe kissed my forehead and got up. He grabbed his T-shirt off the chair and pulled it over his head as he headed for the door. "Whoa, stud!"

He stopped and turned toward me. "What?"

"You want to help me get dressed or would you rather I asked my knight in ebony armor to do it?"

"I'll be right back. I was just going to let him in."

I got out of the bed and brushed my teeth. I gathered the clothes I wanted to wear and set them on the bed. I was bent over pulling on my panties when Joe returned.

"I'm angry at you and I think we should have sex right now," he said sternly.

I stood up and pulled my panties in place. "You're angry because I said I miss Ranger?"

Joe walked up to me, put both hands on my ass, and pulled me into his groin. "Uh-huh." He was trying to hide his smile

"You're not angry, you're just horny!"

"It's your fault for bending over and showing me that magnificent ass!"

"I'm not going to have sex with you while Cal is downstairs! Besides, you promised someone you'd be in at eight."

"You know, I really didn't need the voice of reason, right now."

"I'll be right here waiting for you. When are you coming home?"

"I'll be home by noon."

"Okay, we need to finish the invitations and we need to be at Mom's at six."

Joe helped me with my bra and my knit top. "Don't take any showers till I get home, okay?"

"Sure. You can help me with the parts I can't reach."

Joe wrapped his arm around my waist. "I'll wash your parts if you'll wash mine," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Deal."

He kissed me one more time and slipped in a grab at my ass. "See you later, cupcake."

I finished dressing and headed downstairs. Cal was lying on the couch with his eyes closed. "Cal?"

"Yep, I'm up," he said abruptly, as he sat up.

"Are you tired?"

"Nope, I'm fine."

"I'm going to make some coffee."

"Yep—coffee—good."

I padded into the kitchen to make coffee. Rex was digging through the cedar mulch looking for something. I figured it might be food, so I opened the fridge and found grapes. I dropped a grape and a cracker from the box of saltines into the tank. I closed up the box and put it in the cabinet. I hadn't thrown up in two days. I hoped it was a sign that my barf days were waning. Rex blinked at me and dragged his grape into the soup can.

I had to wash out the coffee pot from the day before. I checked the fridge for breakfast food. We had eggs, not much else. I wondered if Cal would take me shopping. I sauntered into the living room.

"Hey, Cal, you think you could…"

He was sitting with his arms folded across his chest asleep. I crept upstairs and retrieved my pillow and a blanket. I laid the pillow on the end of the couch. I tried to gently urge Cal to lie down. He jumped when I nudged him.

"I'm awake. Is something wrong?"

"Cal, when's the last time you slept?"

"Um, I took a nap yesterday afternoon."

"Did you work the night shift?"

"Had to—Tank's in Florida and Ranger's in A.C."

"Listen. You lie down and sleep. I'll wake you if I hear or see anything suspicious."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. The cameras are gone. Hector scanned the whole place. Even if Kaiser _is_ watching the place, your SUV is parked in front of the house. He knows I'm not alone."

"True. You're sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to have some cereal and fill out some invitations. I'll do it right here at the coffee table. You'll only be a few feet away."

"Okay." Cal sprawled out on the couch after removing his boots. I covered him with my blanket. He looked like a big ol' teddy bear. I think he fell asleep before I got to the kitchen. I prepared a bowl of Special K with red berries and a cup of coffee. I put them on the coffee table and rushed upstairs to retrieve my phone. I put it on vibrate, so it wouldn't wake Cal. I gathered the list and the invitations from the dining room table and carried them to the living room. I sat on the floor with my back against the couch where Cal was now lightly snoring. It was about nine thirty when my phone hummed an incoming call. It was Ranger. I answered it the way he always answered his phone.

"Yo."

"Stephanie, is Cal with you?"

"Well hello to you, too!"

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me, but I'm worried about Cal."

"Why would you be worried?"

"I've called his phone and left messages, and he hasn't called me back."

"He's here with me. He probably left his phone in the SUV."

"Can I speak to him?"

"No."

"No?"

"He's asleep."

"Excuse me?"

"He was with me yesterday morning until noon. Then last night he worked all night because you and Tank took a little vacay, and Joe called him last night to tell him he needed him to watch me today. The guy was dead on his feet!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm sitting on the floor in front of him. He wouldn't go to sleep unless I promised to stay close."

"He's loyal to you," Ranger stated. "He could have asked one of the others to watch over you today."

"I think he feels like he owes me for his life."

"The problem is he's not at one hundred percent, and that could be detrimental. I thought Diesel was staying with you for a few days?"

"Joe caught me with my shirt off when Diesel was taking away my pain."

There was silence on the other end.

"Ranger?"

"I'm trying to process what you just said."

"Diesel does this thing with his hands. I can't explain it. He lays his hand on the wound and the pain goes away for a while. I had to take my shirt off."

"Please tell me you were wearing a bra."

"Yes, I was wearing a bra! What is it to you anyway?"

"I—have to go." _Click_

"Ranger?" _Shit! Don't tell me he's jealous. Nah, couldn't be._

I picked up the pen and began to write out an envelope. I stopped after the first word. _Ya think?_

I picked up my phone and dialed him back. It rang for a long time before he picked it up.

"Babe."

"Are you jealous?"

"I don't have any right to be."

"I didn't ask you if you have a right to be jealous. I asked you if you _were _jealous."

"Babe."

"I'm sorry. It wasn't like that. He was just trying to take away the pain and when he took my clothes off, it was only so I could shower," I blurted out before I could filter my thoughts.

"I can't listen to this."

"Carlos, please, don't hang up."

"Your husband asked me to back off, so you and he can iron out your problems, and you are telling me that overgrown surfer is peeling your clothes off, so you can shower?"

"If it makes you feel any better, he's gone. Joe kicked him out."

"I'm surprised he didn't break his hands. I might have."

"Carlos."

Silence again.

"Can we go to lunch when you get back?"

"Clear it with your husband. Ask Cal to call me when he wakes up."

"I will. Carlos?"

"Be good." He disconnected.

_Oh boy._

I short while later Joe called.

"Hey, cupcake. Are you keeping your clothes on?"

"Yes. I wish everyone would just chill."

"Everyone who?"

"Ranger called looking for Cal. Cal is sleeping."

"Why?"

"He was on duty last night. He didn't want to disappoint you. I made him sleep on the couch. I'm finishing up the invitations."

"Good. I'm getting off at noon. Then we can take that shower."

"Okay, but be quiet. I don't want to wake him."

Two hours later the key turned in the lock. I had finished the invitations and was working on a crossword puzzle in the back of an old magazine I found in Joe's office. Joe poked his head into the living room.

"Is he still asleep?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Good, come on," he said in a low voice.

"Where are we going?" whispered back.

He held his finger up to his lips. I got up, and he took my hand and led me to the stairs. "I'll wash your parts and you'll wash mine, remember? I've been thinking about it all morning."

_Oh boy!_

He got to the top of the stairs and turned to me. "How's your collarbone?"

"Better than yesterday."

"All righty, then."

Joe went to the bathroom and started the shower. I peeled of my pants and laid them on the chair. He returned from the bathroom and smiled. "This is right where I left you. Perfect." Joe placed his hand on my ass and pulled me into his groin. "Now where were we?"

"I was yelling at you to go to work."

"Right. Well I already did that, Mrs. Morelli." He leaned in a kissed me passionately.

"Um, the shower?"

"I could turn it off," he suggested.

"I thought I was going to wash your parts."

He shot me the most beautiful smile that reached all the way to his sparkling eyes. Joe helped me off with shirt and my bra and then stripped quickly out of his own clothes. He guided me into the shower and kissed me again as we stood under the show while water cascaded over us. My nipples hardened as his hand brushed lightly across my breast. I picked up the soap to caress his dick and he reacted quickly to my touch. He leaned his forehead against mine as I soaped him up.

"I'm going to fuck the shit out of you."

"Oh, yeah? You'll have to catch me first."

"Oh, it's like that, huh?"

"Uh-huh."

"I can play that game." He kissed me again.

I handed him the soap. "Your turn, stud."

Joe took his time soaping me up. He washed my breasts for a long time. He kept looking into my eyes and smiling, and then he'd turn his focus back to my breasts. Finally he turned me around and washed my back. It wasn't long before his hands traveled to my buttocks. Then he slid his hand between my legs and caressed my pussy. My stomach tightened and I felt a shiver rush through my body.

"You like that?" Joe whispered.

_I did. God damn! I want him in me. _

Joe shut off the water. "Time for round two. You'd better run, cupcake."

I played the game. I grabbed the towel and ran out of the bathroom. I took off toward the spare room and hid. I could hear Joe.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" It took a minute for him to wander into the spare room. "I know you're in here."

I was squatting next to the dresser and I heard him open the closet door. That's when I took off running. I pulled the tattered door closed behind me in an effort to slow him down. Joe pulled it open moments after I closed it. I slammed the bedroom door as I passed through it. Joe flung it open, and I screamed. He cornered me, and I burst out laughing. Joe grabbed the towel I had wrapped around my body and pulled it off. As he turned to throw it on the bed, I took the opportunity to bolt. I tried to run, but Joe slammed the door shut blocking my escape. Joe pushed me and I fell backward on the bed. I turned to scramble over the side. He grabbed my ankle and I shrieked. Okay, I screamed, but it was all in fun. I was enjoying this playful game of cat and mouse. I pulled my foot away and rolled off the bed onto the floor with a thump. "I've got you now!" Joe growled.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Cal rushed in with his gun drawn. "Freeze!" he yelled.

I was sitting naked on the floor. My first instinct was to curl into the side of the bed in an effort to cover myself. Joe collapsed face down on the bed.

"Jesus, Cal!" Joe scowled.

"I'm sorry! I saw the broken door, and then Stephanie screamed. I thought it was Kaiser!" Joe picked up the towel and handed it to me. I immediately wrapped it around my body. Joe was still lying flat on his belly with his beautifully tight ass exposed for all to see. I suppose it was better than flashing his semi-erect penis. Cal's face looked as beet red as mine felt. Cal had seen me naked. "I'll just go," Cal said, as he turned abruptly toward the door.

"Wait for me downstairs. I'll be right down," Joe replied.

Cal closed the door as he left.

"Did you have to scream?" Joe said, as he rolled to his feet and helped me off the floor.

"This is _my_ fault?" I asked, surprised that he would blame me considering he started this game.

"No," he muttered. "Chalk up another Rangeman who's seen my wife naked. What's that four now?"

"Three," I corrected him.

"Right, Mattie's not a Rangeman and neither is Diesel."

My emotions got the best of me, and my eyes filled with tears. Joe saw the first teardrop fall. He drew in a deep sigh. "Steph, it's not your fault. I should have left him a note in case he woke up." He kissed my forehead. "You want to put on a robe and say good-bye to Cal?"

"No, I'm too embarrassed."

"He's probably more embarrassed than you are." Joe exclaimed as he pulled on his jeans.

"I don't think so. He wasn't the one who was naked."

Joe laughed. "At least now he's got something to dream about."

I smacked him on the shoulder. "Not funny!"

"I love you, cupcake. I'll be right back. Do me a favor and don't lose that spunk."

Joe left the bedroom, and I slumped onto the bed. How was I ever going to face Cal again? Then a dreadful thought entered my head—_Ranger_. He was livid when he found out that Diesel had seen me in a state of undress. What is going to say when he finds out Cal saw me in my birthday suit sitting spread eagle on the floor? I'm just not going to have anymore men in my life with the exception of my father and Joe. _That's the ticket. _From now on, I will get my ass up and go to my mother's. A wave of nausea passed through me. I rose to my feet and ran for the toilet. I heaved cornflakes and coffee into the bowl.

"Steph?" Joe entered the bathroom and saw me on my knees. He knelt behind me and pulled my hair back. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, breakfast was so great the second time around."

Joe helped me to my feet and handed me a wet washcloth from the shower. "I guess the mood's been broken."

"You could say that."

"You look a little flush. You want to lie down?"

"Will you lay with me?"

"Sure."

Throwing up always left me tired. I curled into Joe's chest and promptly fell asleep. Joe's phone once again woke us.

"Not again," I grumbled.

Joe looked at his phone. "It's my mother." He answered the call. "Hi, Mom."…"I worked this morning. Steph and I are working on the invitations."…"Most of your invites made the list."…"No, not all of them."…"No, Stephanie did not nix them. I did. I don't even know the Narducci's and Mr. Nevins always threw my baseballs in the sewer. Why the hell would I invite him?"…"Yes, my mind is made up."…"A special deal, huh? Yes he made the list."…"So, where's this place?"…"Uh huh. I know it. Sure, we'll check it out today."…"Thanks, Mom." Joe disconnected.

"How would you like to go check out a florist that my mom recommended? She assures me that he will give us a good deal."

"Is he honest?"

"Honey, I'm a cop."

I rolled my eyes. "Can we at least go eat first?"

"Sure, where do you want to eat?"

"Cluck-In-A-Bucket?"

"Seriously? You puked up your breakfast and now you want to eat greasy chicken?"

"I might as well at least enjoy it going down."

Joe helped me with my bra. I was able to get the sweater on with minimal pain.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled into Cluck-In-A-Bucket, and I saw Lula's Firebird parked in the lot. We walked in, and Lula spotted us immediately. I headed straight for her table.

"Hey, Hon! Good to see you out and about. How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right."

"I want you to meet Marcus. Marcus this is one of my closest friends, Stephanie Plum and her fiancé, Joe Morelli."

Joe reached out and shook Marcus's hand. Marcus was a very good looking black man. His hair was shaved close to his head with a design etched into the left side surrounding his ear. He had what looked to be an expensive pair of sunglasses propped on his head. He was sporting a pencil thin mustache. His physique rivaled Joe's. All in all, in my estimation, he was too pretty for the likes of Lula.

"Steph, why don't you sit, and I'll go get the food," Joe suggested.

"Do you know what I want?"

"Two piece white meat dinner with fries and slaw. Diet coke."

I smiled at him. Joe was about to walk away when Marcus addressed Lula. "Boo, give me a few bucks, and I'll get desert."

"Oh—sure," she replied. Lula reached into her purse and pulled out a ten dollar bill. She handed it to Marcus who took it without so much as a thank you. I shot a quick glance at Joe. Marcus slid out of the booth and walked toward the counter with Joe.

"So, Marcus, huh?"

"Yeah, isn't he fine?" she gushed.

"I have a quick question. Does he ever pay when you go out on these dates?"

"Sure, he paid for everything on our first date, when he took me to that fancy restaurant."

"What about the movies the other night?"

"He doesn't get paid until this week. He's a little short."

I leaned forward and spoke low. "Lula, he's using you."

"No, he's not. You don't know nothin'. Ranger gives you cars. Are you using him?"

"I gave the car back."

"_This _car. What about all the other cars?"

"He offered them to me. I never asked him to give me those cars."

The boys returned with the food and sat down before the argument could escalate.

"Marcus is going to buy me these new shoes I been wantin' at Macy's, aren't you, Marcus?"

"Sure," Marcus replied, as he dug into his wedge of Oreo crème pie.

I bit into my chicken breast. "This is really good. Thank you." I directed my comment to Joe.

"I just hope you keep it down," Joe replied.

"Bulimic?" Marcus interjected.

"Pregnant," Joe corrected him without missing a beat.

_Bulimic, seriously? Do I look bulimic?_

"Knocked her up, huh? I got a couple of kids. Didn't marry 'em though. No bitch is going to trap me."

Joe chuckled. I was livid. Before I could speak, Joe again took the conversation into his own hands. "I think if anyone feels trapped, it's Stephanie. I've wanted to marry her for a long time now."

"I do _not_ feel trapped!" I shrieked.

"Good," Joe said with a smile.

At that moment, Joe's phone went off. He answered it immediately. "Morelli."…"God _damn_ it! It's Sunday. Can't they take a day off?"…"Any witnesses?"…"Great. Give me twenty minutes. Find a reason to detain her." He hung up. "Gotta go. Lula, can you give Steph a ride to her mother's?"

"No," I interjected. "I'll come with you."

"Stephanie, I don't know how secure the area is."

"I promise I'll stay out of the way of bullets," I joked. "I'll call Mattie to pick me up." I squeezed Joe's leg under the table. _There is no way I am going anywhere with scumbag Marcus._

"You promise you'll stay in the car?"

"I promise."

"Let's go."

I was surprised Joe didn't put up more of a fight. He didn't like me being involved in his job. Joe slid out of the booth and attached his shield to his belt.

"You're a cop?" Marcus asked, as he sat up straight.

"Yeah, imagine that. I'm a cop, and I knocked up my girlfriend of four years, and I'd rather make an honest woman of her than to just shoot her," he smirked. Joe took my hand and dragged me away from the table.

"Bye, Lula! I'll call you!"

Joe pulled me to the parking lot and held my door open. I angled my way into the seat, and Joe shut my door. He slid into the driver's seat and hauled ass out of the parking lot.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, why?"

"Because I asked you to bring me with you."

"I knew your motivation. That guy was an asshole."

"I know. He's only with her for what she can buy him."

"Lula doesn't have much."

"She gave him ten dollars to buy a two dollar dessert, and he never even gave her the change."

"If he knows she was a prostitute, his motivation may be to turn her back out."

"Joe, I can't let her do that!"

"See if you can get a last name on this guy, and I'll run a check on him. In the meantime, talk to her. Remind her of what Ramirez did to her."

"Okay, I can do that."

Joe grabbed my hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Thanks for sticking up for me back there."

"I stuck up for us. Call Mattie. I have a feeling it's going to be a long afternoon."

I dialed Mattie. He picked it up on the second ring. "Hold on." I heard him yelling. "Go, go, go—Yes!" He was watching a football game.

"Hey, puddin'. What's up? How are you feeling?"

"I'm better than yesterday. Who's winning?"

"Giants just scored. They're up by seven."

"I'm sorry to bother you, but is it possible to pick me up?"

"Where are you?"

I turned to Joe. Where are we going?"

"Corner of Hamilton and Stark."

"There's been a murder at Stark and Hamilton. Joe didn't have time to drop me off. He says I have to sit in the car."

"It's almost halftime. Can you hold out till then?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"See you in a bit."

"Bye." I disconnected and turned to Joe. "He's watching the game. He said he'll come at halftime."

We rode in silence. I was still thinking about Lula and Marcus. How could she be so blinded by him? _He's such a dick! _I turned abruptly to Joe. "Do I look bulimic?"

"You look healthy."

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Did the word fat come out of my mouth?"

"No."

"You're pregnant. You have that healthy pregnant glow."

He turned onto Hamilton and the emergency vehicles were everywhere. An officer stopped us from going any further. It was the young cop from yesterday. Joe flashed his shield. "Homicide," he said stoically.

"Officer Morelli." He leaned down, so he could see me. "And Stephanie Plum. Are you authorized to do this?" he asked.

"Someone is picking her up. Keep an eye on her till he gets here."

"My pleasure," he winked at me before standing up straight again.

_Oh boy._

Joe parked the car. He had his cop face on. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Are you going to make it to dinner?"

"I don't know."

"Joe." I gave him my mother's expectant look.

"I'll try." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. Then he opened the door and he was gone in a flash.

Joe had parked in a spot where I couldn't see anything. The officer was busy directing traffic. I thought maybe if I got out quietly, I could slip past him and blend in with the onlookers. I was about to open the door when suddenly, a burgundy corvette pulled up next to me. _Fuck! It's Kaiser! _I immediately hit the locks. Kaiser got out of the car. He was dressed in his usual dress pants and European cut dress shirt open at the collar. I hated the fact that for a slimebag, he was not bad to look at.

He had an envelope in his hand. He smiled at me as he knocked on my window. I could see that he was speaking to me, but I couldn't hear the words. I had the music turned up and truth be told, I didn't want to hear what he had to say. I had half a mind to start the car and run him over. At any rate, I sure as hell was not opening this window.

Kaiser placed the envelope under the wiper blade. The he leaned over the hood and placed his lips on the windshield and made out with it. I could see his tongue caressing the glass and it sickened me to think it was meant for me. I suddenly had the urge to urinate. I needed to get out of this car. I leaned on the car horn, and Kaiser jumped and backed away from the car. He walked confidently back to his car, blew me a kiss, and drove off.

The officer, hearing the car horn, abandoned his post and rushed across the street toward me. As soon as he was close, I got out of the SUV and met him in the middle of the street.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Enemy." That was all I could get out.

"Enemy?"

I was hyperventilating. "I need—to go—to the bathroom."

"There's a gas station on the next block."

"Will you stay with me?" I said in one quick breath.

"Um, I don't know."

I finally caught my breath. "Please? That guy? He wants to hurt me to get back at Morelli. Usually, I have someone with me, but today was Joe's day off and…" I was trembling.

"Okay, okay. Officer Morelli did tell me to keep an eye on you, and he has seniority over me so—I guess it falls under police protection."

"Thank you." I turned and walked swiftly towards the gas station. We entered the station and got the key to the bathroom. The bathroom was gross. I hovered over the seat and tried not to touch anything. Even the sink was nasty. I pushed my way out of the door using a paper towel which I was surprised they even had, although they weren't _in_ the dispenser but lying on the back of the toilet. Officer Sherman, that's what his badge read, was outside waiting for me. I quickly returned the key and joined him at the curb.

"Thanks," I said sincerely.

"My pleasure, Ms. Plum."

"You know, I could never understand why they lock the bathrooms at the gas station. They're already disgusting."

"They do it so the homeless won't sleep there."

"I wouldn't sleep in there even if I was homeless."

"Tonight, it's supposed to drop into the thirties. Would you rather sleep outside?"

"Don't they have shelters?"

"People steal your shit—excuse me, stuff in the shelters. It's an unfortunate situation."

"I guess."

"When I was in high school, I used to volunteer at the shelter. I did it, so I could get my advanced diploma and go on to college and have a lucrative career. I thought I'd go in, serve some crappy food to a bunch of smelly homeless people, and get out, so I could hang with my friends. I never expected it to have the impact that it did. When I heard some of their stories and the injustices that others had done to them, I decided I wanted to do something to help. That's why I became a cop."

"You didn't get your degree?"

"I got my degree in criminal justice. My plan was to become a lawyer, but after six months of working for a law firm sitting at a desk, I got bored. I realized I wanted to be out here—on these streets. I can do much more for the people here than in a courtroom."

"Wow. That's pretty heroic."

"I'm no hero. I just want to help. Now you, you're a hero. I don't know if I could throw myself in front of a perp with a gun to save someone else."

"I told you, I was wearing a vest."

"He could have shot you in the head."

"_He_ was a _she_, and I don't think her intention was to kill Cal. I think she just wanted to get away."

"It was still brave."

"I guess." I paused. "I don't know your first name, Officer Sherman."

"Jeff."

"Thank you, Jeff, for taking care of me."

We arrived back at the corner where Jeff had been directing traffic away from the scene of the murder. I sat on the curb, so I could stay close to the officer. After a few minutes Joe spotted me. He headed straight for me.

"What are you doing out here? I thought I told you to stay in the car?"

"Excuse me. I am _not_ four years old!" I shot back.

"I should have let Lula take you to your mother's."

At that moment Mattie pulled up. "Hey, gorgeous. Need a ride?"

I ignored Mattie and continued to address Joe. "Maybe I'll just stay at my mother's until you get your head out of your ass!" I walked around to the passenger's side, got in, and slammed the door. "Drive!" I ordered.


	27. Chapter 27

**So everyone, I should have posted this yesterday…but the site was giving me trouble and decided to finish the book I was reading, _Slam_, by Nick Hornby. I enjoyed it because it was different. And I like the English colloquialisms. I might check out one of his other books. My cover designs for book two of For the Love of Brynn came back. I've made my decision. They just need to tweak it a bit. Now, I'm waiting for the formatted first chapter. Never a dull moment….oops, That's the name of this chapter…Enjoy!**

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Mattie stepped on the gas. "What are you two fighting about now?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, fine. Where are we going?"

"Your place."

"My place?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

He paused and looked at me with a twisted face. "I changed some things."

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

We rode in silence and Joe's comments continued to tear at me. "Why does he have to be such a jerk? He treated me like a child!"

"Steph, he _is_ a cop. That makes him an alpha male. You seem to be drawn to alpha males. Morelli, Ranger,—me."

"Well, maybe I'm an alpha female."

"No, you're just hard headed."

My phone started ringing in my pocket.

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"Nope," I said adamantly.

"See? Hard headed."

Mattie pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I felt anxious. I missed my apartment. I always felt safe there even when I wasn't. There was no drama. No one to yell at me. It was my domain, and I was queen.

Mrs. Bestler was manning the elevator. "Well, hello, Stephanie! Have you been on vacation?"

"No, I sublet my apartment to Mattie, here."

"You got a new man? What happened to the other two?"

"No, you don't understand. I'm getting married."

"Congratulations! You two look like a nice couple."

"I'm marrying Joe, Mrs. Bestler."

"I thought you said his name was Mattie?"

"_His _name is Mattie," I said pointing to Mattie.

"Okay, so you're marrying Mattie."

"Mrs. Bestler, do you remember Joe Morelli, the cop?"

"Yes, the nice officer that you used to date."

"I'm marrying him."

"I know. You told me already."

Mattie burst out laughing. "Just give up already."

I was not about to give up. I placed my hands on Mattie's chest.

"Listen to me. _This—_is Mattie DeNunzio. He is my friend. He lives in my apartment—_alone._ I live with Joe Morelli, the cop because I am going to be Mrs. Morelli."

Her face went blank. "I'm confused."

"No, you're not. Say it with me. I am marrying Joe Morelli, the cop."

She repeated after me. "I am marrying Joe Morelli, the cop."

"Not you! _Me!_" I corrected her.

"Not you! _Me!_" she repeated.

"Oh, good God!"

Mattie stepped forward. "I'm looking for a wedding gift. Are home appliances on two?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes, I can take you there."

Little did she know the elevator had already gone to the third floor and back down to the first during our conversation.

By the time we got out of the elevator, I felt nauseated. I stopped and clutched my stomach.

"Steph, are you all right?"

"I had fried chicken for lunch. I don't think the elevator helped."

"Come on inside. I'll get you something cold to drink. It will help."

I stepped inside the apartment. I was mesmerized. The living room was painted beige with huge, dark brown geometric shapes randomly placed on the walls. Some were solid shapes and some were just outlines. The furniture was rearranged as well. It looked really different but cool in a weird sort of way. "Wow! This is…"

"We did it in my son's room last year, and I really liked the concept. I hope you don't mind."

"Uh—no. It's your apartment."

"Have a seat." He flipped on the flat screen TV.

"What happened to my TV?" I asked.

"I put it in the bedroom."

I sat on the couch. Halftime was over. The game had resumed.

"Let me get you a drink," Mattie offered.

"I can wait for a commercial."

My phone started to ring again.

"Still not going to answer it?"

"Nuh-uh." I pulled the phone out of my pocket and set it on the table.

"You know you're just going to piss him off."

My phone played the tune indicating I had a voice message.

"You gonna check that message?"

"In a bit. Let me enjoy not being yelled at." I sat back and watched the game and my queasiness waned. The cold glass of diet coke helped. Mattie and I enjoyed the game. We were both football fans and we both loved the Giants. It was a close game, and we were both screaming on almost every play. In the end, the Giants won by kicking a field goal against the Eagles in the final minute of the game. We were both high on adrenaline.

"Are you hungry?" Mattie asked.

"Not really. Besides, me and Joe are supposed to be going to my mother's house for dinner at six."

"What if he doesn't show?"

I picked up my phone and dialed my voice mail. I waited for Joe's tirade. I was surprised when I didn't get it. "Stephanie, I know you're angry with me, and you have every right to be. I was upset about the shooting. The kid who was gunned down was only fourteen. He was just a child for Christ's sake. Anyway, I'm sorry I blew up at you. I love you." I hung up the phone. I felt like crap, and my face showed it.

"Something wrong?" Mattie asked.

"He didn't yell. He apologized."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"I need to call him."

I dialed Joe. He picked up after two rings.

"Steph, why didn't you tell me that Kaiser approached you?"

"You yelled at me, and then I was too pissed; I just wanted to leave."

"He left a note."

"I know."

"You didn't read it?"

"No. I didn't want to touch it."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. Are you still mad at me?"

"No. I felt like crap when I heard your message. I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone when you called."

"It's been a rough afternoon. The kid's mother was a mess. It broke my heart. I can't fathom what it would be like if we lost a child. Right now, I just really want to hold you."

"Me, too. Are you going to make it to my Mom's?"

"I'm trying like hell, sweetheart."

"So, you want Mattie to drop me there?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at my apartment—I mean Mattie's apartment. We watched the game."

"Well, if you are going to ask him to drive you to your mother's, you should invite him to dinner."

"I was planning on it."

"I'll see you soon."

"Bye." I turned to Mattie. "He said he'll meet us there."

"Us?"

"Now, Matador, you don't think I'd make you drive me to my mother's and not invite you to dinner."

"Maybe you should ask your mom."

I dialed my mother. Dad answered. "Hi, Dad!"

"Stephanie, how's my little girl?"

"I'm okay."

"Please don't tell me you're not coming. Your mother will have a cow. She invited your sister and she had to back out because the two older girls are sick. She's got a ton of lasagna prepared."

"No, I'm not going to back out. Joe is probably going to be late, but I can bring Mattie."

"That'll help."

"I'll stop home and get Bob."

"Even better."

"K—see you soon." I hung up.

I addressed Mattie. "We have to stop home and get Bob."

"Sure."

We drove to the house. I didn't have my keys because I left my purse in Joe's SUV, so I went to the neighbor, Mrs. Rupp to get the spare key that I knew Joe had given to her.

We entered the house, and I asked Mattie to let Bob out, so I could freshen up. I wanted to change my clothes because I still felt a bit groady from the gas station bathroom. I brushed my teeth and freshened up my makeup. I was in the dining room gathering together the menu for the wedding and the other information to show my parents when I was startled by someone abruptly knocking on the door.

"You expecting someone?"

"No."

"Stay here. I'll answer it," Mattie ordered.

_Alpha male._

Mattie opened the door and I head "_Freeze!_"

"Whoa!" Mattie said, as he backed up.

I bolted toward Mattie.

"Wait. I know you. You're the new bond agent," the voice on the other side of the door exclaimed. I came into view of the intruder.

"Hal! What are you doing here?"

"Hold on," Hal replied, as he pulled his cell phone out and dialed. "False alarm. It's Stephanie." He hung up. "Your silent alarm went off at Rangeman. Me and Lester hightailed it out here."

"Oh, shit! I forgot! I'm sorry. I didn't have my keys and I borrowed a set from Mrs. Rupp next door. I completely forgot about the alarm system."

"We tried to call you. We got through to Morelli, and he said you were at your old apartment. He was afraid that Kaiser or one of his cohorts had broken in."

"I saw him today."

"Morelli told me. That's why he thought it was Kaiser. He said the note said he was back and anxious to see you."

"Great."

"You better call Morelli."

Lester appeared from the corner of the house. Lester was one of those guys that you couldn't stop looking at. He was model gorgeous in a Beckham sort of way only bigger. I often wondered how in the world he ended up here in Trenton under Ranger's command. I didn't see much of him. I think Ranger liked to use him for the types of jobs where he would be seen. Lester could blend easily in a rich social scene.

"Hi, Stephanie. Is everything all right?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I made you come out here."

He climbed the steps and the both entered the house.

"It's okay. It's been a slow day at the ranch and the important game is over. Your alarm got my adrenaline pumping," Lester said with a chuckle.

I found myself staring at his perfect lips when he talked. _Stop it!_

"Call Morelli," Hal urged.

"Okay, but stay right there," I instructed.

I dialed Joe. He answered on the first ring. "Stephanie, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I stopped home to get Bob. I didn't have my keys, so I borrowed Mrs. Rupp's. I completely forgot about the alarm."

"Christ, Stephanie. You gave me a heart attack. I tried calling your phone. You didn't answer."

"I left it in the car because I thought we'd only be inside a few minutes."

"Well, sit tight. I'm almost there."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I told them an alarm was going off at my house. We were about done anyway. I couldn't take much more. You know when these gang members blow each other away, I can handle it, but when a kid catches a bullet, it just tears me up inside."

"I know."

"I'll have a ton of paperwork to do tomorrow."

"Does that mean you won't be coming with me to the doctor?"

"Shit! I forgot about that! Maybe I'll go in early."

"You don't have to go with me you know."

"Stephanie, would you miss our wedding?"

"No!"

"Well, I wouldn't miss seeing my baby for the first time."

I felt my throat close up. I wanted to cry.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?" I squeaked.

"I'm driving up the street."

I dropped the phone on the hall table and pushed past Lester who was blocking the front doorway.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Lester asked, as he grabbed a hold of my bad arm. I hadn't put the sling back on after I changed my shirt.

"Ow!" I cried.

"Dude! That's her bad arm. She was shot remember?" Mattie pointed out.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

I saw Joe pull into the driveway. "Joe's home!" I wanted to get to him. I wanted to feel safe in his arms. I hit the bottom step as Joe got out of the SUV. We met halfway, and he pulled me into his arms. "I'm so happy you're home," I whispered in his ear.

"I'm just glad you're safe."

"Are you kidding? I've got the three musketeers in there!" I smiled at him. "But I feel safest right here with you."

He grabbed my face and kissed me. "Promise me our children will out live us," he sad sadly.

"I'll pray every day."

"Good. So—is your entourage coming with us to your mother's?"

"Mattie is. I don't know about Hal and Lester."

"Where's your boyfriend?" Joe asked.

I grabbed Joe by the collar. "Right here."

"I meant Cal. You said Hal was here."

"I imagine he's still in dreamland."

"He's gonna be pissed that he missed all the excitement."

"What excitement? I set off my own alarm."

Hal and Lester exited the house. We're gonna get going now," Hal announced.

"Hey, you want to come to Stephanie's mother's for dinner? She's made a ton of lasagna."

I figured Joe must have spoken to my mother. Maybe he called her to tell her he might be late.

"We don't want to impose," Hal replied.

Joe pulled out his phone and called my mother. "Hey, Mom? It's Joe. I've got two big guys here who are looking for a home cooked meal. You think you can accommodate us?"…"Sure, we'll get some on the way over."…"Bye." He hung up. "We need to pick up another loaf of Italian Bread from Pizzoli's Bakery."

Everyone converged on my mother's house at precisely five-thirty. The house smelled delicious. My stomach started to growl as soon as we got in the door. My mother was thrilled that we were early. Hal and Lester picked up a couple of bottles of Chianti and presented them to my mother. Dad was in his chair watching the four o'clock game. The guys all snagged a seat and joined in the hootin' and hollerin'. I noticed that Grandma Mazur was missing.

"Mom, where's Grandma?"

"She's in Atlantic City with her _man _friend."

"Right. I forgot about that."

"Is there any news on the wedding plans?"

"Uh huh. The invitations are written and we are mailing them tomorrow. And—I have the menu for the reception. You want to see it?"

"Of course I do!"

I pulled the menu from my purse and handed it to her. She took a minute to read it. "Stephanie, this sounds wonderful!"

"Thanks. We were supposed to check out a florist, but duty called, and Joe had to go, so…"

"You still have time. You have the most important stuff. The hall, the food, and the dress."

"And the groom," I chuckled.

I helped my mother set the table while she prepared the second loaf of Italian bread. "How is Val? Dad said the girls are sick?"

"Yes, she said Marie Alice came home from school on Friday not feeling well, and this morning, Angie was complaining of a sore throat. She didn't want to bring them here and expose you."

"Me?"

"You're pregnant, dear. You do _not_ want to get sick."

"Oh, right. I never think about things like that."

"Well, you need to."

Joe entered the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Who's this Lester guy?"

"He's one of Ranger's men. Why?"

"He's—smooth."

"What do you mean?" _I'd say he was more hot than smooth._

"His phone hasn't stopped ringing. Funny thing is it's always a woman unless he calls everyone honey."

"I'm not surprised he has a lot of admirers," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Joe kissed my neck. "You know, I used to be like that."

"You still are. I'd call you every five minutes, but you'd probably get mad."

My mother interrupted our banter. "Call the guys in. Dinner is ready."

Joe kissed my neck again and released me. In all my years in this house, I had never seen a group of guys like this at my mother's table. Joe was actually the smallest of the bunch, although I would never peg Joe as a small guy. Everyone loved Mom's lasagna. There wasn't much left by the time the big boys pushed back from the table. The men retired to the living room to finish watching the game. Bob got his share of leftover lasagna while I helped mom with the dishes. Grandma came home just as the guys were leaving. She looked disheveled like she had just gotten out of bed.

"Hi! Did you have fun?"

"And how! We went to Cirque du Soleil, the Alegría show. It was wonderful! And our room! It had a hot tub in it! Carl really treated me like a lady."

"Maybe you should marry him!" my father yelled from his chair.

"He hasn't asked me yet," Grandma said as a matter of fact.

"Oh, mother, you're too old to get married," My mother exclaimed.

"I'm old, not dead. I can get married if I want to." Grandma turned to me. "I'm bringing him to the wedding. Maybe he'll get ideas."

"Grandma, don't rush into anything. Make sure he's the real deal—like Joe." Joe was in the living room rolling around on the floor with Bob, who was thoroughly enjoying the attention.

"One day, he'll be rolling around with your children," Grandma pointed out.

"Children? How many kids do you think I'm having?"

"You should have at least two," my mother stated. "It keeps them from being spoiled."

She had a point although I always thought that Val was pretty spoiled.

Joe and I said our good-byes and headed for home. Tomorrow was Monday and we had a lot on our plate. Besides my doctor's appointment at eleven-thirty, we still needed to check out that florist that Joe's mother recommended. I also wanted to hit A.C. Moore and see what it would cost to create the centerpieces I envisioned in my head.

Joe reached for my hand and kissed it. "Sweetheart, I spoke to Hal and Lester about security for you tomorrow and they said that Ranger had not scheduled anyone to be with you. I'm going to need to drop you somewhere in the morning. I'm going in at six."

"Can't you just leave me at home? I mean we have a security system, and I have my gun."

Joe shot me a look. "That might have worked yesterday, but not after the note he left."

"What did it say?"

Joe reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the envelope. He handed it to me. I opened it. It read: _Stephanie, my sexy temptress. I've been busy, but now I have some free time on my hands. I'm sure you missed me and I have every intention to make up for that, besides the fact that you have something I want. I will see you very soon._

My stomach sank. "He's never going to leave me alone," I lamented.

"No. He's going to wait for that perfect moment when I leave you unprotected. That's why I need to know where you want to go in the morning."

"Mom's."

"Good."

That night, we didn't make love. Joe was on edge and so was I. I didn't sleep well. It seemed that when I finally _did_ fall asleep, it was time to get up. Joe dropped me at my mother's, and it felt like I never left. I climbed into my twin bed with Bob and fell back to sleep.

My mother woke me at nine for breakfast, citing she didn't even know I was in the house until Bob came tumbling down the steps. I guess I didn't snore like Dad and Grandma.

"Joe had to go in early because he's taking off half a day to go with me to my first doctor's appointment."

"That's very sweet of him. You know when I was pregnant with you girls; your father didn't do any of those things. Your grandmother used to take me."

"Well, Val said they will probably do an ultrasound. I guess Joe wants to see the baby, too."

"They never did ultrasounds when I was pregnant. The only time someone got an ultrasound was if they suspected there was a problem."

"So you had normal pregnancies with both of us?"

"As normal as can be. When it came time to deliver and the pain got bad, they gave me Demerol. When I woke up, there you were, all bundled up in a blanket. Nowadays, they don't use Demerol. Instead, they give you an epidural, so you're still awake for the delivery."

"That's in your back, right?"

"Yes, and I've heard that a lot of women have back problems afterwards."

"So you _have_ to get an epidural?"

"You don't _have_ to do anything. Evelyn Nagy's daughter had her kids all natural. She swears by it."

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"You know what they say: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You should talk to her. She lives right here in the Burg. Julia Combs. She was few years behind you in school." I didn't particularly like needles. I wondered how much pain we were talking about.

Mom served breakfast and the conversation ended. Instead, I opened a new topic for discussion. "Mom?"

"Yes, dear."

"Would you take me to A.C. Moore's? I want to see if I can make a centerpiece for the tables instead of using a florist. My dress cost so much, I just want to try to cut down the cost somewhere."

"Sure, honey."

And so I spent my morning with my mom. I called Joe and let him know where I was, so he wouldn't worry. It turns out my mother was a great help. We chose a tall, clear plastic, rectangular vase. They had gardenias in a prefabricated bouquet. Each bouquet had six flowers. I figured I'd probably use about four or maybe five flowers in each vase. I didn't need the leafy part, just the flower itself. I was thrilled that they had the black branches in a large bunch. One bunch could probably be split to use in three vases. My mother suggested that we use some gold ribbon and run it through the items we were putting in the jar along with the pearls since the tablecloths were black and gold. We got back to the house and began to experiment. We came up with a beautiful table decoration. When I broke down the cost of each item and how many centerpieces it would cover, I figured the cost per centerpiece was about fifteen dollars. I was pretty sure the florist could not come near that price with a centerpiece that rivaled my creation. I was feeling pretty good about myself.

The only thing we would have to buy at the florist would be my bridal bouquet, the bride's maids' bouquets, and a throw away for the toss. I needed to check with the church as to whether I'd need much more than that. St. Gregory's was the church that my mother called and we lucked out. She called while I was creating and spoke to Father Scarpelli. He said he would be willing to perform the ceremony. Joe and I had discussed the church situation, and we had decided if we couldn't book a church then we would just get married by the Justice of the Peace again at the reception hall. Father Scarpelli said no one wanted to marry on black Friday. The only drawback was that he insisted that we go to pre-cana. The big issue with that was time. Joe was already taking a lot of time off. I didn't want him to lose his job. Father Scarpelli gave my mom a list of dates and times he had available over the next few weeks. He told her that it usually takes three visits to complete pre-cana.

Joe showed up at the house at precisely eleven-fifteen. I had just enough time to show him my exquisite centerpiece. Of course, he thought it was beautiful. We rushed out of the house and headed for the doctor's office. It was located uptown near the hospital. The building was large. It took up half the block and contained a slew of medical offices. Bynum Obstetrics was on the second floor. As we entered the waiting room, the first thing I noticed was the play area for the toddlers that accompanied their mommies. There were two little girls playing side by side. They were obviously sisters because they both had the same blonde curly hair pulled back in a decorative hair tie. Joe smiled as soon as he laid eyes on them. It was obvious that he was partial to little girls. The older girl was coloring in a book with crayons. The younger girl was playing with a toy in which you pulled the string and the arrow spun until it landed on a barnyard animal. The voice in the toy named the letter the animal started with as well as the name of the animal and then the sound the animal made. I sat while Joe signed the sheet. After a few minutes, I decided my favorite barnyard animal was definitely 'R- Rooster – Cock-a-doodle-doo!' The girls' mother looked on. She was very pregnant. If I had to guess as to when she was due, I'd say yesterday.

The receptionist called my name. "Miss Plum?"

"Um, yes." I creased my eyebrows and looked at Joe. I was surprised that he signed me in as Stephanie Plum and not Stephanie Morelli.

"Hello, Miss Plum. Is this your first visit?"

"Yes." It was a stupid question because she obviously knew it was my first time here because she had a stack of forms on a clipboard for me to fill out.

"I need your insurance card, please."

I dug through my purse and then my wallet until I found my insurance card. I handed it to her. She took it and scanned it. She handed it back to me.

"I need a photo I.D."

I rolled my eyes. _She could have said that the first time_. I shuffled through the fifty cards in my wallet. Luckily, my license was only a few cards in under my overused credit cards. She scanned the license and handed it back to me.

"That'll be forty dollars for today."

Joe was quick to pull out his wallet and handed her his debit card. When she completed the transaction, she handed Joe back his card.

"You need to fill out these forms. The first is your personal information. The second is your HIPAA form. It's your health information privacy sheet. If you want anyone besides your primary care physician and yourself to be able to access information about you, you need to enter their full names on this sheet."

"You mean like my husband?"

"Are you married?"

"Only just last week. I haven't had any of my info changed yet."

"Oh, well, congratulations!"

"Thank you," Joe replied before I could.

"When you change your license, social security, and insurance, I'll need copies."

"Okay." _Note to self: need to get on that right away. Is there a particular order to do this? I wish I could remember._

"Now where were we?" the receptionist asked pulling me from my thoughts.

"Naming people who can get info," Joe reminded her.

"Right—Underneath that is your financial agreement. It states that you are responsible for anything the insurance doesn't cover."

"What wouldn't be covered by insurance?" I asked.

"I can't answer that question," she said flatly.

"What do you mean? You work here." I was becoming agitated, and Joe knew it.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Everything's fine." He looked at the receptionist. She was young and she looked like she didn't really like her job. "Is there anything else?" Joe asked.

"The last page is the medical history. Please make sure you pay special attention to this page." Did I look like an idiot?

"Thank you," Joe replied as he took the clipboard.

As we walked back to our seats I turned to Joe. "Why do people work at jobs they dislike? I'll never do that again."

I sat down and began to fill out the forms. The very first page asked me for my insurance information. "Jesus!" I said a little louder than I should have as I dug through my purse _again _for my insurance card.

"Sweetheart, would you like me to fill it out for you?" Joe filled out forms all the time. It was part of his job.

"No, I got it," I replied as I reeled in my anger. I think I was on edge because I was nervous. I mean I knew I was pregnant, but this sort of put a stamp on it. Before today, I could pretend I really wasn't because no one had told me officially when I was due. All that was about to change, and I was shaking in my boots. Who the hell was I kidding? I wasn't ready for this. I was a disaster—an accident waiting to happen. I was ready to get up and bolt out the door, when Joe got up, took off his coat, and draped it over mine on the back of the chair. One of the little girls must have been watching him because she got up and walked toward him as he sat back down.

"Can I see your badge?" she asked.

"Melissa, don't bother the man!" the pregnant woman scolded, as she attempted to get up.

"It's all right," Joe reassured her. Joe pulled his badge from his belt and handed it to her. "Be careful of the pin," Joe warned. He looked absolutely radiant with her.

She took the badge and walked off toward her sister. Her sister promptly ripped from her tiny hands. The little girl screamed, "It's mine!"

Her mother spoke in a firm tone. "Monique, give it back to your sister!" Monique ignored her mother. "One!—Two!" Before she could count to three, the older girl returned the badge to her sister. Joe and I looked at each other. I stored this bit of information away for future reference as I'm sure Joe did. The older girl marched over to Joe and began to interrogate him.

"Are you a cop?"

"Yes," Joe replied.

"Where's your uniform?"

"I don't wear one."

"Are you undercover?"

I was amazed at her ability to use deductive reasoning considering she couldn't have been more than five years old.

"No," Joe answered.

She looked pensive. "Then how come you don't have to wear a uniform?"

"Because I go to the scene of a crime and gather information and then try to solve the crime." I knew he said crime instead of murder because she was so young.

"Like CSI?"

"Something like that, yes," he said with a smile.

"So—you're a detective," she concluded.

"Yes," Joe replied.

"Cool." Then she walked away just like that and resumed coloring.

Joe and I looked at each other. He reminded me of a puppy. He looked so damned happy. Why can't I feel like that? I just felt queasy.

I completed my paperwork and gave it to the receptionist. I sat back down, and Joe took my hand in his.

"Is this your first baby?" the woman asked.

"Yes. This is our first visit," I responded.

"This one's a boy," she said, as she placed her hands firmly on the beach ball that protruded from her body. "After this I'm going to get my tubes tied."

"I'm really nervous. Does it hurt much?"

She laughed. "Well, with Monique, I ended up in trouble. I was in labor for twenty two hours, and then I was too tired to go anymore. They ended up taking her C-section. So, Melissa had to go the same way, and little Adam here will go the same way, too," she said calmly patting her belly.

I hadn't even thought about a C-section. "Does that hurt?" I asked.

"It doesn't hurt during the delivery because they give you an epidural and cut into you. The baby comes out all nice and perfect. It's the after. I was in quite a bit of pain for the first two weeks. I had to walk around holding a pillow against my belly because God forbid you coughed or sneezed. My mother moved in for the first three weeks because I couldn't do much."

"That doesn't sound good."

"I couldn't even drive for six weeks. If it wasn't for the fact that my husband wanted a boy so badly, I would have had my tubes tied after Melissa."

I squeezed Joe's hand.

"It's all right, sweetheart," Joe said calmly. "We'll be fine."

_We? Were is the we in childbirth? _I thought to myself and then I started to get agitated again.

"Don't be scared, honey. It really isn't so bad. I mean when is the last time you heard of a woman dying in childbirth?" the pregnant woman pointed out.

The nurse opened the door. "Mrs. Gaydos?"

"Girls, come on."

The girls immediately responded.

"She's still got my badge," Joe reminded her.

"Melissa, the officer was nice enough to share it with you. Now you have to give it back."

"But I don't want to!" she whined.

"One!—Two!—" Like magic, Melissa spun around and walked toward Joe. "What do you say?"

"Thank you, mister, for letting me play with your badge."

"You're very welcome." Joe looked absolutely mushy. If we had a daughter, Joe would be done for. We sat quietly for a few minutes when I remembered about the church.

"My mom called St. Gregory's today, and she talked to Father Scarpelli. He said we can get the church for Black Friday, but we have to go to pre-cana."

"Are you kidding me? The last time I went to church was when my sister got married."

"Do you think _I've_ been to church recently? We were both brought up catholic."

"It's stupid. We're already married," he protested.

At that moment, the nurse opened the door. "Miss Plum," the nurse called.

"Mrs. Morelli," I corrected her.

The nurse twisted her face in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"My paperwork says Plum, but I got married last week. I'm Mrs. Morelli." I said it with an air of superiority.

"Fine."

Joe tried to hold back his smile as he held the door open for me.

"And we are going to see Father Scarpelli," I said in a stern voice as I passed him.

"Fine," he conceded. I think he was so happy that I corrected the nurse that he would have agreed to anything. I wondered if now would be a good time to tell him I wanted to work for Ranger.

_Probably not, _the voice in my head replied. But when did I ever listen to anyone including the voice of reason?


	28. Chapter 28

**Well, it's kind of been a rough week for FanFic. Seemed like they were down more than they were up. I miss talking to my readers. Seems like communication is reaching a new low here. Have any of you seen the movie? I'd love to hear your take on the characters.-NL**

RACING HEARTBEATS

The nurse led us down a long hallway to an antiseptic room. Along the hallway, the walls were covered with pictures of babies that the doctors had delivered over the years. Many of them were accompanied by thank you cards.

The exam room had a little carpeted corral in the corner. Inside this corral were a couple of toddler sized chairs and a stack of picture books. Dr. Seuss was on top of the pile. I suppose that is where Monique and Melissa sat while their mother was being examined.

"You can sit up here on the table," the nurse instructed. I thought the nurse was kind of gruff, but it's possible she was put off by my earlier demand.

"Should I sit, or is it all right if I stand by her?" Joe asked.

"It's better if you sit. You'll only just get in the way. There's nothing for you to see until the doctor comes in anyway."

Joe didn't say another word. I was a little perturbed at the way she treated Joe, like he was a sperm donor. I thought I'd try Joe's tactics on her. "Joseph, do you have to go back to the precinct, or can someone else deal with Trenton's murderers today?" I knew he took the afternoon off, but he had deposited his badge in his coat pocket, so the nurse didn't know what he did for a living.

"Sweetheart, I'm not in the mood to see another dead teenager, so you're stuck with me for the rest of the day."

The nurse felt the need to contribute to the conversation. "I have a teenage son and I pray every day that he doesn't piss somebody off and get stabbed or shot by some psycho."

"I know what you mean. It doesn't help when your wife is out there trying to round up low life scum."

"I'm quitting," I interjected. "I'd be happy to take a desk job at Rangeman." _There. I put it out there._

Joe winced, but he didn't give me an answer.

The nurse placed a thermometer in my mouth. After that the nurse grabbed my bad arm as pulled the blood pressure cuff from its stand.

"Not that arm," I replied quickly as I protected my arm from being pulled.

"Why?" she asked.

"Gun shot," Joe replied.

"Oh," she answered in surprise. "Maybe you _should _take a desk job."

Joe shot me a look that said drop it. I thought it best to keep my mouth shut.

The nurse finished her assessment and got up to leave. "Dr. Martello will be in shortly."

As soon as she left, Joe spun around. "Why do you push?" he said in exasperation.

"To get the baby out?" I joked.

"Stephanie!" He laced his finger behind his head and faced the wall.

"Okay! I got it. You don't want me to work for Rangeman."

"And yet you still continue to push the issue."

"Because I want to work and I happen to like the profession I'm in and because I know Ranger will give me the hours I need."

Joe turned around to face me. "And tell me why would he go through all of the trouble to accommodate you?"

"Because he's my friend."

"Because he's in love with you!"

There was a knock on the door. The doctor opened it a crack and called out, "Hi, I'm Doctor Martello. Mind if I come in?"

"Yes, please," Joe replied.

The doctor entered the room. He was a short, plump, bald man. He looked more like a butcher than a doctor. A nurse followed him into the room, but it wasn't Nurse Ratchet from before. He sat at the computer and read my paperwork. "It says here that you found out you were pregnant during a visit to the hospital for a head injury."

"Uh-huh." That was all I managed to say. Joe was already pissed, and I really didn't want to go into the whole story about Mattie hanging from a ceiling fan.

"It says the due date is May twenty-third. That makes you ten weeks pregnant."

"No, I didn't know that."

He looked up from the computer. "They didn't tell you?"

"No, they didn't tell me much of anything except that I was eight weeks pregnant and I had a concussion."

"Hmmm. Well, here we try to tell the patient everything. If you have a question at any time during your pregnancy, feel free to ask. We, here at Bynum Obstetrics, believe that a patient who has knowledge is a better patient." He sounded like a commercial.

"The receptionist at the front desk said that I had to sign a financial agreement. She said it stated that I have to pay whatever isn't covered by insurance."

Joe rolled his eyes.

"That's right."

"What wouldn't be covered by insurance?"

"Did you have insurance prior to your being pregnant?"

"Yes, that's why I'm not going on my husband's plan. We just got married."

He smiled. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Joe replied.

"The insurance?" I reminded him.

"Right, well besides the co-pays on your office visits and any tests that require co-pays, the only other things that might cost you are things that might not be covered under your insurance."

"Like?" I pressed.

"Like tests that are done without proper reason to back it up."

"Well, you're not going to do that right?"

"I'll try my best not to, but sometimes the insurance companies have stiff rules."

I shot a look a Joe, who was standing with his arms folded across his chest. I didn't say anything more, so I guess the doctor took that as question answered.

"Okay, let's see what we've got. I need you to lie back. Lift your shirt up to your bra line and lower your pants to the top of your thighs. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay." I did as I was told and the doctor returned a minute later with the same nurse. She squirted some clear gel onto what to me looked like a weird looking hand held massager.

"This will be cold," he warned. "Ready?"

"Uh huh."

As soon as the cold gel hit my skin, my stomach contracted. He slid the device over my belly in a slow circle. All of a sudden I heard "shoom-shoom-shoom-shoom-shoom."

"What is that?" I asked.

"That's your baby's heartbeat."

"Oh my God! Why is it beating so fast?"

"That's normal. A baby's heart beats much faster than yours or mine. It's a good heartbeat. Now, Mr. Morelli, if you'd like to stand next to your wife, I'm going to show you your baby."

Joe jumped to his feet. I wondered how the doctor knew Joe's last name. Maybe the nurse had told him when he was out of the room. Joe held my hand which brought me from my little daydream back to reality.

"Ready?" the doctor asked. He clicked on the screen and once again placed the 'magic wand' on my belly. "There's your baby."

The picture was grainy, but right in the middle was something that made me think of a kidney bean. The doctor used a pointer as he indentified different parts of the baby on the screen. "Here's the baby's head and right there—is the eye."

Joe squeezed my hand. I don't know what happened at that moment, but it was as if a light switch was flipped on in my brain.

"There's his or her hands," he said pointing again at the screen. They just looked like bumps to me.

"Is it a boy of a girl?" Joe asked.

"It's a little too early to tell. Maybe next time." He used the pointer again. "There's the spine."

"Would you like a picture?"

"Oh my God, yes!" I blurted out.

The doctor printed off a few pictures and handed them to Joe. He shut off the screen and pulled the wand from my belly. The heartbeat stopped. I could still hear my own heart slamming away in my chest.

"Now, Mrs. Morelli. You are 34 years old. I would like to do a couple of tests in about a month. The first is a test for diabetes. It's standard procedure since a lot of women have gestational diabetes if they are prone to diabetes later in life. It's non-invasive. You'll go to outpatient services at the hospital. You need to fast after midnight. In the morning, you'll go and they will have you drink a glucose based liquid. It tastes like very sweet orange soda. Afterwards they will check your blood every hour for a total of four hours."

"Blood? I hate needles."

"It's only a finger stick. It's not bad, I assure you." He drew in a deep breath. The other test is called an amniocentesis. This is not a mandatory test, but it is recommended for women over thirty-five."

"What's it for?"

"A woman is born with all of the eggs she will carry for her lifetime. As the eggs age, they can become—damaged. A damaged egg can produce a child with down-syndrome or other birth defects. Some people prefer to be given the option to terminate the pregnancy."

"You think something is wrong with my baby?" I cried out in horror.

"Now, I didn't say that. I didn't see any indication that that something is wrong with your baby, but this test is very accurate. Complications in the procedure could result in miscarriage."

"Can we think about this?" Joe asked.

"Of course. We don't do anything until the fifteenth week. Optimally, we try to do it during the eighteenth week."

"That's two months from now," Joe calculated.

"Yes, looks like Christmas week. You're not going out of town are you?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Joe answered.

The doctor pulled a booklet from the drawer. "Here's some material which explains the procedure and the importance of it as well as the possible consequences."

"You said it was full proof," I protested.

"The test is full proof. If there is a problem, the test will detect it. It also will tell you definitively whether the baby is a boy of a girl. I'll be seeing you again in a month. You can let me know then if you want to do this."

"Is it covered by insurance?"

"It is generally covered for women over the age of thirty-five."

"But I'm thirty-four."

"I know."

Joe spoke up. "What will it cost if I have to pay out of pocket?"

"I'll have my financial counselor get you those figures. Again, this is up to you. You've never been pregnant before, so I have no history to go on."

I left the doctor's office in a panic. I got in the SUV and immediately started crying.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked.

"What if something's wrong with the baby?"

"The doctor never said there was anything wrong. He just said if you wanted to be sure, you might consider being tested. The chances are probably one in a million."

"I want to be tested. That financial lady said it would cost three hundred and fifty dollars if it's not covered."

"It's not about the money, sweetheart. Maybe we should read the booklet and talk to a few people who may have had the test before we make any decisions."

"I'm scared, Joe."

Joe pulled out his phone and flipped through his contacts.

"Who are you calling?"

"Your sister." He put the phone to his ear. "Hi, Valerie. It's Joe. We just came from the doctor."…"Yeah, we saw the baby. The doctor suggested that she get an amniocentesis and now she's freaking out. Would you talk to her?"

Joe handed me the phone.

"Val?"

"Don't freak out. I had it done with my last two and they are both fine."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I was over thirty-five when I got pregnant with both of them. I did it to make sure everything was okay."

"And what if it wasn't?"

"Don't think like that. Why worry about what isn't? You have no worries unless they tell you something is wrong. I mean how many people contract cancer each year? Probably a lot more than people with down-syndrome babies. Do you worry about that? No. Instead you go for your pap smear every year and when you turn forty, you'll go for your mammogram. It doesn't mean anything is wrong, but if there was, wouldn't you want to know as early as possible, so you could deal with it?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Did she say you _had _to get one?"

"No, _he_ said it was up to me."

"_He_? Which doctor did you get?"

"Dr. Martello."

"Oh. I heard he was really thorough. I wouldn't fret about it if I were you."

"He told me he's going to set me up with a glucose test for diabetes."

"Everyone has to do that. It's routine, like the sonogram. He probably won't set that up for a while. If you decide to do the amnio, you should see if you can do both in the same day. That's what I did."

"He said Christmas week."

"Yeah, it has to be done before you start your fifth month."

"Yeah, why is that?"

"Didn't he give you paperwork?"

"Yeah, I got a booklet."

"It will tell you everything in there, but the first three months are when you are most likely to miscarry, so they won't do it then. After the fourth month the baby really starts to grow and develop, so aborting a fetus becomes more difficult. So, that fourth month is the window of opportunity. That's what they call it."

"Gee, you sure know a lot about it."

"Twice, I went through it."

"Thanks, Val. You helped a lot."

"Anytime, Sis. Tell Joe there's nothing to worry about."

"I will. I love you—oh!—How are the girls?"

"Mary Alice is better. Angie is still coughing and blowing her nose. A few more days, and she'll be fine."

"Good. I'll see you soon?"

"Absolutely. I need to find a dress."

"Right. I'll coordinate with the other girls to see if we can go this week."

"Good."

"Take, care. Bye."

Joe looked at me. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

Joe smiled. "Flower shop?"

"Yes, let's go."

We spent the next hour at the florist. We looked through a few catalogs that showed an array of bouquets that had been designed for past brides. The florist asked what color the bridesmaids' dresses were, and I couldn't answer the question. I knew that I wanted a bouquet that hung as opposed to a circular bouquet. She suggested that I return once I know what color the dresses in the bridal party would be. She said she could create a bouquet of roses and cascading tendrils of Jasmine or sweet pea. She pointed out a few bouquets that had what she had described. She also suggested that I call the church and see what type of flowers if any they were providing.

Father Scarpelli informed me that since it was fall, they had several potted mums in the church. He said in most of the weddings he performed, there were two free standing bouquets in the staging area. After the wedding, usually someone in the bridal party would transport them to the reception. The florist assured me that they could create a couple of lovely bouquets with gladiolas and assorted flowers in the same colors as the bridal party. Total cost—way too much even with the discount. I was glad that I had created my own centerpieces for the tables.

We were on our way to eat lunch when Joe's phone rang. He checked the number.

"It's your boyfriend."

"Cal?"

"No. Carlos," he said smugly. He answered the phone. "Hello?"…"I hope you enjoyed it."…"Yes, she's feeling a lot better."…"She got another note. I don't think he has any intentions on backing off."…"Yeah, I'll do that."…"Thanks." Joe hung up.

"Ranger needs your itinerary for the next few days, so he can put a man on you."

"I don't want a man on me. I'll hang with Mattie."

"Mattie is working. You are _not_ hanging with him while he works," he growled.

"Then I'll hang with Lula."

"I'm still going to put a man on you."

"Fine. I want Lester."

"Why? Because he's good looking?"

"Would you rather I choose Ranger?"

"I'd rather you choose Tank."

"Tank's in Florida, remember?" I reminded him.

"He should be back today," Joe reminded me.

"Shoot. I wonder if someone is picking him up at the airport."

"I don't know. Maybe he's taking a taxi."

"What kind of homecoming is that?" I pulled out my phone and dialed.

"Who are you calling?"

"Ranger."

"What for?"

"Shush!"

"You shushed me?" Joe said in disbelief.

Ranger answered quickly. "Yo."

"Hey." It was nice to hear his voice. I paused because I realized that no matter what I said, Joe would take it as flirting. I decided to stick to business. "Is anyone picking up Tank at the airport?"

"Got it covered, Babe."

"Oh, okay, good. Just checking."

"I kinda like this mother instinct you've acquired."

"Thanks."

"So when are we going to do lunch?"

"I don't know. Joe insists on having a bodyguard to keep the wolves away." I was hoping he understood that in order for me to have lunch with him, he'd have to be my bodyguard.

"Please don't tell me you want me to howl."

I laughed. "No."

"I've gotta run. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure." I hung up.

Joe spoke as soon as I hung up. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Is someone picking up Tank?"

"Oh—yeah. Ranger's on his way to the airport."

Joe opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped.

"What?"

"Nothing. We need to mail the invitations."

I'm not sure what Joe was holding back, but I was happy he did. "Can we go eat?"

"You don't want to cook?" He was holding back his smile.

"Why? Are you in the mood for peanut butter and olive sandwiches?" I teased.

"Applebee's?" Joe asked.

"Sounds great."

That evening Joe and I lounged on the couch until Joe's attention went from the vampires on HBO to my breasts. He finally goaded me into giving him the attention he wanted. The bad part was the more playful we got, the more I giggled, and the more I giggled, the more excited Joe got. Joe started to growl with excitement, and Bob decided he wanted to join in the game. Finally, Joe had to put Bob in the backyard. By the time he came back I was lying naked on the couch trying very hard to be seductive. I hand my arm over my belly in an effort to hide my baby bump which I would later realize months down the road was really nothing compared to what it would become.

Joe removed my hand and kissed my belly. "I wish you could tell your mother not to worry. You'll be perfect. I just know it." He looked up at me and smiled and then turned his attention back to the baby. "I love you." He kissed my belly again and then scooted up towards my face. "I love you, Stephanie," he said sincerely and then proceeded to take me into a dreamlike state with his wonderful lips. Joe made love to me right there on the couch. Then, later, he made love to me in the bedroom. We were still naked when we fell asleep in each other's arms with Bob happily claiming my side of the bed. I slept like a baby. I didn't hear Joe's phone ringing the middle of the night summoning him to yet another murder. Retaliation for the boy who had been gunned down, I would later find out.

"Sweetheart?" Joe spoke softly, as he stroked my head.

"Hmmm?" I responded, still half sleep.

"I have to go. I called Ranger. He's sending someone over. Don't wander downstairs without any clothes on."

"Okay," I replied, as I drifted off to dreamland.

I was wrenched awake by the sudden pain of my bad arm being pulled above my head.

"Ow!" I cried out before I became completely lucid. My first reaction was to move in a way that would alleviate the pain. I scooted towards the pillow, so I could sit up. That was when I realized I was handcuffed to the bed. "What the..?"

I raised my head and as my eyes focused across the room, I found myself alone in my bedroom with my worst nightmare.

"Good evening, Stephanie," Kaiser said smugly.

I was naked and sitting up with both wrists handcuffed to the headboard. I was trapped. My first reaction was to pull my knees up in an effort to cover myself with the blanket that had fallen to my waist.

"Ah, princess, why do you cover yourself? The sight of your body makes me horny. He reached into his pants and grabbed a hold of himself. He adjusted his cock so that it stuck out of the top of his pants. _Oh my God! That can't be real, _I thought to myself as the horror of Kaiser having his way with me struck home. "First things first, princess. You have something of mine and I want it back. So where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said bravely.

Kaiser walked over and placed one knee on the bed. He caressed my cheek. I turned my head away from him. His hand slowly slid from my cheek to my breast where teased my nipple with his thumb. I could feel my face get hot from a combination of anger and embarrassment. His dick was still peeking out of the top of his black dress pants. He grabbed my chin and yanked it, so I would have to look at him.

"Where is it?" he asked calmly.

"Where is what?" I was trying desperately to waste time in the hopes someone from Rangeman would show up. _Where the hell is Ranger's guy? I could have sworn Joe said someone was coming. Unless…Kaiser took him out._ My body shuddered at the thought of one of Ranger's men being hurt…or worse.

"The purse you snatched." Kaiser's voice snapped me back to reality.

"The knock-off?" I replied, assuming they weren't real.

"It's as real as you are, princess."

He grabbed my chin and kissed me hard. I tried to struggle, but I couldn't do much of anything. My anger surfaced. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, and I bit him. He backed off quickly. He backhanded me across the face. "Bitch!"

My head snapped toward my left shoulder ad my cheek burned. I held back the tears and glared at him. Kaiser pushed off the bed and wiped the blood from his lip. I had obviously caught his tongue and his lower lip in my teeth. He turned his back to me and began to rifle through the dresser drawers looking for the purse. I could feel my body tremble with fear. If he found the purse before anyone arrived, he would definitely finish what he started.

"You know the longer you make me look for the purse, the longer I will make you suck my dick."

"I'll just bite through it," I hissed.

"You do and I'll make it so you'll never have that baby or any other children for that matter." He opened the closet and began rummaging through it. He began throwing everything on the top shelf onto the floor. Then he looked on the floor under the clothes where the shoes had been thrown haphazardly against the wall. "Aha! There you are. Come to papa." He held it up and quickly examined it. He placed the purse on the chair.

Suddenly, I heard the front door open. Kaiser heard it, too. He quickly approached me and slapped his hand over my mouth. He pulled a switchblade from his pocket. "You make a peep and I'll kill you. You hear me?"

"Stephanie?" It was Ranger's voice. I wanted to scream so badly, but I was afraid Kaiser would make good on his promise. Instead I just nodded my head. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest.

"Kaiser, I know you're up there. You'd better be carrying a gun because if you're not, I'll make sure there's one in your hand once you're dead."

Kaiser opened the dresser drawer where Joe always kept his gun, but it was gone. Joe had taken it with him when he left.

"Well, my love, I guess that's my cue to leave. Next time, I'll male sure we are alone and I promise I'll fuck you till you rip. Au revoir." He leaned in and kissed me, but then he bit my lip hard.

"Ow!" I cried.

"Payback's a bitch, princess."

Kaiser sprang off the bed, bolted into the bathroom, and closed the door. I saw Ranger out of the corner of the doorway as he carefully climbed the stairs with his gun drawn. He turned quickly and backed against the wall outside the bedroom.

"Where is he, Babe?"

"The bathroom," I croaked.

He came in running and kicked the door to the bathroom open. It slammed hard into the wall. I was sure the doorknob had punched a hole in the wall. He ran into the bathroom and I jumped when I heard the shot. I heard another shot and I jumped again. "Shit!" A few seconds later, he appeared in the doorway looking very disappointed. "Are you all right?"

"Is he…"

"No. I hit him though. Son-of-a-bitch kept running." Ranger turned and disappeared in the bathroom again only to return with my robe that had been hanging on the back of the door. He draped it over the front of my body. Then he pulled a key from his pocket and proceeded to unlock the first handcuff. As soon as the cuff opened, he cradled my arm in his sure hands and slowly pulled it into my torso. "This is the sore arm, right?"

I nodded my head. Now that I was out of eminent danger, my emotions overtook me and my eyes flooded with tears. Ranger remained sedate as he leaned across my body and unlocked the other cuff. As soon as the other arm was free, he engulfed me in his arms, and I broke down. He held me for several minutes as I sobbed.

"It's okay. I've got you," he said softly as he stroked my head. The smell of his Bulgari was soothing to me. I was comforted by his soft touch and his calm voice. "I'm sorry, Babe. I should have been here for you."

Finally, I was able to speak coherently. "It's not your fault."

"Morelli called me and instead of sending someone, I took a shower and came myself. I was on the road when I got a call from Chester. He said the alarm had been tripped at the house. I knew Kaiser was here. I didn't know what I was going to walk into."

"He touched me," I blubbered.

"Don't tell Morelli. I'm going to take care of this. I promise you." He pulled back. "Here. Let's get your robe on."

I watched his eyes. He was staring at my body as he helped me slide into it. I didn't know if I should feel dismayed or grateful.

"Are you going to call Joe?" I asked as he pulled my robe closed after taking one last look at my breasts.

"I'll wait for him to call me. I'm sure the police will let him know about the situation. I'm worried about you."

"I'm okay, really."

Right on cue, Ranger's phone hummed and Ranger was quick to pick it up. "Hey."…"Yeah, he was here."…"He must have seen you leave. I was on my way when I was informed of the alarm."…"He cuffed her to the bed."…"She seems to be physically all right. Pretty upset though." Ranger brushed the hair behind my ear. "Babe, he wants to talk to you."

I was shaking as I took the phone from him.

"I'm sorry, Joe," I whimpered.

"Sweetheart, did he hurt you?"

"He saw me naked. I couldn't do anything to cover up," I croaked.

Joe was silent on the other end.

Ranger pulled the phone from my hand.

"I'm taking him down."…"I clipped him tonight. Looked like the right thigh, but he managed to make it to the car."…"You take care of your wife. Leave Kaiser to me."…"Yeah, we'll be waiting." Ranger hung up the phone. "He's coming home."

I started to cry.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of Morelli?"

"I'm afraid I've disappointed him."

Ranger pulled back the blankets. "Come on." He scooped me into his arms and picked me up off the bed.

"I can walk."

He grinned at me. "Give me this one thing, okay?"

I laid my head on his shoulder and relished the tender moment between us as I inhaled the sweet aroma of Bulgari again. I'd let Carlos be my hero—for now. He carried me down the stairs and laid me on the couch. He knelt next to me.

"Is there anything else I should know before the police get here?" he asked.

"Um—remember when me and Mattie and Tank broke into Kaiser's house?"

"I remember."

Of course, he'd remember. That was the day Tank saw me naked in the picture that Kaiser had hanging in his bedroom. That was the day Ranger fired Tank.

"Well, I took something of his, and he wanted it back."

"What was it?"

"A purse. A 'Coach' bag. It's a brand name."

"I know what it is."

"He had a whole bunch of new purses and handbags in the basement. I sorta took one. He said he wanted it back."

"Did he find it?"

"Yes, he tore the room apart until he found it."

"I was wondering why the bedroom looked the way it did. I find it hard to believe that he would be so upset over losing a handbag."

"There's something weird about those purses. Mattie and I watched a hooker go in carrying one purse and when she came out, she was carrying a different purse."

"You think they were transporting drugs?"

"What else? But…"

"But what?"

"I don't think they know."

"How is that?"

"Well, Lula said she used to be a regular. She said that he gave her a purse a few times, and she remembered being asked if she could go to a 'friend' of his, you know, for services."

"So, you think they were delivering to this 'friend'?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Was there anything in your purse?"

"Not that I saw. I looked for a special compartment, but I didn't see any."

"I would like to get a look at one of those purses. Do you think Lula still has one?"

"I don't know. You want me to ask her?"

"Absolutely." He took my hand in his. "How would you like to do a little surveillance with me?"

"I would love to, but Joe…"

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"It's the police. Keep the purse thing under your hat."

Ranger got up and answered the door. Two officers, who obviously didn't recognize Ranger, forced him to exit the house with his hands up. I immediately rushed to the door and was ordered by one of the officers to stay inside. I stood in the doorway yelling at the officers that he was all right. They frisked him and found his gun, which had obviously been discharged, at which point; Ranger was cuffed and escorted into the back of the squad car. I didn't know either of the officers.

I was trying to explain to one of the officers that Ranger was my bodyguard. The officer raised his eyebrow and escorted me back into the house. I saw the lights of another squad car approaching as he shut the front door.

"Did he hit you?" the officer asked sternly.

"Ranger? NO!"

"How did you get that bruise on your cheek?"

I had completely forgotten about Kaiser backhanding me when I bit him.

"Kaiser did it."

"And who is Kaiser?"

"He's my stalker."

"Okay, how about you sit down, and we start from the beginning?"

"Are you going to let Ranger go?"

"Ma'am, he discharged a firearm. We need to hold him for now."

"But…"

He wouldn't budge. "Please start from the beginning and tell me what happened."

I took a deep breath. "My fiancé is Joe Morelli. He's a cop. There's a guy named Richard Kaiser who's been stalking me."

Suddenly, Joe burst into the house.

"Joe!" I tried to get up, and the officer placed his hands on my shoulders to hold me back.

"Take your hands off of her!" Joe shouted.

"Excuse me. I'm questioning this victim," the officer replied with an air of superiority.

"I'm taking over," Joe shot back.

I saw Ranger enter the house. He stood quietly at the edge of the room listening.

"I don't think so. I responded to this call."

"Look, this is my house and my wife. She's already been shot, and now some psycho wants to rape her to get back at me for arresting him five years ago. You got a wife? You know what it's like to worry about her?"

I curled up tightly into a ball on the couch. I was not thrilled that Joe was having this argument. I just wanted him to hold me.

"She said you were her fiancé," the officer challenged him.

"We live together and we'll be married in less than a month."

Ranger stepped forward. "Guys, do you think you could postpone the pissing contest?"

The officer spun on his heels and addressed Ranger. "Who released you?" he demanded.

"I did," Joe sneered.

"Asshole," the officer muttered as he stormed out of the house.

Joe glared at the officer as he left. "Keep going, dickhead." It was obvious Joe was about to lose it. The problem was I was in the same frame of mind.

He immediately turned toward Ranger. "I suppose you saw my wife naked _again_."

The answer the Ranger gave him surprised the hell out of me.

"No, Morelli. Kaiser wanted to be a nice guy, so he let her put a robe on before he handcuffed her to the bed. You know you might show a little concern for your wife instead your own selfish pride."

At that point, I got up off the couch. "I can't deal with the two of you right now." I headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Joe demanded.

I turned sharply to face him. "To Kaiser's. Maybe if I just give him what he wants, he'll leave us alone!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Joe barked.

I turned back towards the door and grabbed the spare keys from the candy dish.

"STEPHANIE!" Joe screeched in a sharp voice.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn't really want to go to Kaiser. I just didn't want Joe and Ranger to bicker over me. I didn't know what to do. Stay? Go? My body hitched as the emotions overtook me. Joe was behind me in an instant. He placed his hands gently on my shoulders.

"Please don't go," he said softly.

I turned to face Joe. "If Ranger hadn't come when he did—I don't know. He was ready, Joe. I saw it—him. He—he" Joe pulled me into his arms, and I broke down again.

"I know. I know."

Ranger approached us. "Are you staying?" he asked Joe.

"Yes. I'm staying."

"Have Kaiser arrested on any charge you can throw at him. It will give me some time to get into that house."

"I'll do that," Joe said calmly.

"Stephanie, you need anything—call."

13


	29. Chapter 29

**Hi gang. Well FanFic has been interesting this last week. I'm not sure what's going on. Either I've lost a ton of readers on ALL of my stories or I don't know. For those of you who have communicated with me recently, Thank you. I love talking to my readers. You give me the energy to continue to write and I love that more cupcake fans are coming out of the shadows. I also love that you Babe fans have continued to hang with me and have appreciated the little moments between Steph and Ranger. You Babe fans might enjoy this chapter.**

ARRESTING DEVELOPMENT

It seemed like I had just fallen asleep in Joe's arms when he gently shook me awake. He was standing above me, fully dressed in a suit.

"Sweetheart, I have to go to work. Today's my court day and then I'm going to press charges against Kaiser. Ranger is downstairs, just so you know."

"Okay."

Joe leaned in and kissed my forehead. "I need to get through this day in court. It's a big case that's been postponed too many times already. Try to stay out of trouble."

"Okay."

"I love you, cupcake." He kissed my forehead again and left. I drifted off to sleep.

I woke some time later and the first thing I noticed as I sat up in bed was Ranger sitting at the top of the stairs on the floor. Bob was lying next to him fast asleep. He had his phone out; probably doing something work related.

"Carlos?" I called out.

"Right here, babe." He got up and entered the bedroom as I swung the blanket back and plunked my feet on the floor. I was wearing silky pajamas; my body was sufficiently covered. He stood in front of me, hands on hips. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry."

"Get dressed. We'll go out."

"Denny's?"

"Sure."

I sat on the bed waiting for him to leave. He didn't budge.

"Well?" I said expectantly.

"Well, what?"

"You have to leave, so I can get dressed."

"Babe, I saw you naked just a few hours ago."

"Yeah, well, that's got to stop."

"I didn't ask you to take your clothes off. As a matter of fact, I brought you your robe and I helped you put it on."

"You were staring."

"I prefer to call it admiring."

"I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate you _admiring _my body."

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then what do you call Anarosa?"

Ranger chuckled. "A gold digger."

"That's not very nice."

"You wouldn't believe the amount of money I spent on her this weekend. Clothes, earrings, shoes. I felt like her father."

"And how many cars have you given me?"

"That's different. I love you."

I felt the heat rise up in my cheeks.

"Face it, babe. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be here right now trying to spend a few desperate hours with you."

I didn't really know what to say, so I went with the truth. "I'm glad it's you here today."

He placed his hand gently on my cheek. "Thank you. Now get dressed. I'll be downstairs."

I had much more mobility in my arm, so it wasn't impossible for me to get out of my pajamas. I rummaged through the dresser until I found a bra that Joe had given me for Valentine's day that snapped in the front, "for easy access," he said. I remember the first time I wore it, Joe took great relish in unsnapping the bra every chance he got. I finally gave up and took it off. "Even better," he said. Today, I was glad to have the bra. It meant I didn't have to ask Ranger to help me because the truth was I missed him and having his hands on my body right now might be too much to resist. After carefully maneuvering the sweater over my bad arm, the rest was pretty easy. I put on some makeup and blow dried my hair and headed downstairs. Ranger was lounging on the couch still messing with his phone.

"What do you do all day with the phone?" I asked.

"Scrabble," he answered, as he looked up at me. "Make-up. Nice."

"I have to admit my selfish side likes that you still love me. I thought I should at least try to look nice for you."

He leaned forward, reached out, and rubbed my thigh. "I can show you how much I love you, if you like."

"Tempting, but no."

"Hey, there's nothing in the rule book that says I can't flirt. It's up to you to say no."

_Oh boy._

I called Joe on the way to Denny's. I wanted to let him know what I was up to. I forgot that he was at the courthouse, and cell phones were a no-no. He'd leave it in the car. I decided to leave a message.

"Hey, stud. I'm out with Ranger. We are going to Denny's for breakfast, and then I am going to get my nails done. I love you. Call me!"

Ranger looked over at me as I hung up.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm totally serious. Look at these hands!" I held my hands out for him to see.

"I see a big diamond that I wish I didn't see."

"You are my bodyguard. You are supposed to go where I go."

"But I'm driving."

"I can drive."

"Tell you what. I'll make a deal with you. I'll take you to the nail salon if you accompany me somewhere."

"I'm not going to your bed."

"As much as I wish you would, that wasn't what I was referring to. I want you to come with me on surveillance to Kaiser's place."

"You know Joe doesn't want me anywhere near there."

"Joe also wants him off the streets and for you to be safe. I want to see if we get lucky enough to see one of them hookers get a lucky pocketbook."

"You promise I'll be safe?"

He tilted his head at me. "Babe."

"Okay, but I'm not going to lie to Joe, and you know he's going to blow his stack."

"Tell him I kidnapped you."

"You know what? You tell him." I held my phone out to him.

"I have his number," he said stoically.

We arrived at Denny's and were seated quickly. Ranger declined the table that was offered and chose another table where he could sit away from the window and faced the door. Ranger ordered coffee which was unlike him, so I knew he hadn't gotten much sleep because of me.

"You know you could have asked Tank to watch me today since he's back—or Cal."

"I thought you said you were happy it was me."

"I am, but who was it that berated Cal for sleeping on my couch?"

"I didn't berate him. I merely pointed out to you that he wasn't in peak form, and that could be dangerous."

"Are you in peak form right now?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here."

"I thought this was a desperate attempt to spend a few hours with me."

Ranger picked up his coffee and drank thereby ending the conversation. The waitress came to take our orders.

She didn't have a Jersey accent. It was from further north—my guess—Boston.

"So what can I get for you this beautiful morning?"

Ranger signaled for me to order.

"I'll have the Farmer's slam with home fries and an English muffin."

"How would like your eggs?"

"Over easy."

She turned to Ranger.

"And what about you, handsome?"

"Can I get the vegetable omelet with the low cholesterol eggs with a slice of ham? No pancakes and no bread, thank you."

"My pleasure!"

I rolled my eyes at him as she walked away.

"What?" he asked questioning my glare.

"Can't you splurge and eat like a real human just once?"

"I _did _splurge. I got the ham."

_Oh boy. _"So, you haven't called Joe yet."

"I'm in a restaurant having breakfast."

"Are you sure you're not afraid to call him?"

"Why do I feel like you're pushing for an argument?"

"Maybe because we've never really argued."

"There's nothing to argue about. I'll call Morelli when it's necessary. Besides, he said he's in court. Chances are he won't even get the message until it's too late."

"So that's your tactic?—procrastination?"

"The tactic is to snag Kaiser with something big enough to put him away for a long time. I know he's raped before, and I don't want you to be the next notch on his bedpost."

"He almost did."

Ranger frowned. "The problem is marijuana charges don't pull much time in the slammer anymore. Now if he was dealing something harder…"

"So you're hoping these hookers are delivering something like heroine or meth."

"Exactly. That's why I want to stake out his place, so we can follow her. Maybe get our hands on that purse."

Somehow Ranger had managed to turn the impending argument I was hoping to antagonize in a productive conversation.

The waitress delivered our meals and as usual, I overate.

Ranger shook his head. "You know one day, all that heavy eating is going to catch up with you. You'll be a skinny girl trapped in a fat woman's body."

"Then you won't love me anymore, so it shouldn't matter because I'll be Joe's problem."

"Is that what you think?"

"Quote: I date some of the most beautiful women on the east coast."

Ranger cracked a smile. "You know it's amazing the things you choose to remember."

"I remember everything you say."

"And why is that?"

"Because."

"Because why?" he pressed.

I didn't want to pursue this conversation any further. "Just because."

"You know you can say why—unless you're afraid that admitting it might change your status with Morelli."

"Nothing is going to change my status with Morelli," I shot back.

"Then tell me why you remember everything I say. I'm not God you know."

"Because I love you, okay?"

He reached across the table and grabbed my hand in his. He looked directly into my eyes. His eyes grew dark as he spoke.

"And that is exactly the reason why I would not give up on you. When you get plump and Morelli cheats on you with the babysitter; and he leaves you feeling unloved and undesirable, I am going to get you back into shape through proper diet, exercise, and plenty of good sex."

_I think I just had a hot flash. _I was silent. I stared at the table. _Say something! _"Joe will never leave me," I said weakly.

"Not if you don't gain weight."

I had finished my eggs, bacon, sausage, and my English muffin. I had pulled the plate with the pancakes in front of me. I had taken only a single bite. I didn't want to lose Joe over pancakes. I pushed the plate away.

"I'm full."

Ranger's lips curled into the smallest of smiles. "Let's get your nails done."

It was only a short drive from Denny's to Nails Only where Nam Phen AKA Johnny did my nails. He and his wife, Lisa owned the place. I didn't know her real name. Johnny told me once, but I couldn't remember. To me, it sounded a lot like his. They had two boys that often were at the shop hanging around being boys. I remember when Lisa was pregnant with the younger one, and now he was already five years old. Everyone in the shop spoke broken English with a heavy Vietnamese accent, except the children.

Lisa addressed me. "Miss Prum. You wanna fill?"

"Yes, please. How long for Johnny?"

"Ten minute."

This was the standard answer whether he had just started on a customer or if he was almost done. Sometimes he would be out of the shop running errands, and I'd still get the same answer—ten minutes.

"You pick a color," she said.

I took the opportunity to use the bathroom and picked my color on the way back. Ranger was sitting on the faux leather couch with his ankle propped on his opposite knee.

"Miss Prum!" Lisa called out.

I turned toward her.

"You friend like a pedicure, yes?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, no."

I sat next to Ranger and grinned.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied trying hard to reel in my smile.

"I've had pedicures before."

I shot him a look of disbelief.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty high maintenance."

"All you ever wear is black," I pointed out.

"You think finding all black is easy?"

"Oh, come on. You don't even shop for yourself. You have Ella do it for you."

"Actually, I have a tailor."

"You can't be serious."

"If you'd have married me, you'd have gotten the best of everything."

My mouth dropped open.

"Honey!" Johnny called. "Come, sit."

I walked up to Johnny and plopped into the seat. I was in shock over what Ranger had said. A few weeks ago, he said he'd never marry again and to top it all off he'd had a vasectomy to keep from producing anymore offspring. _No. I made my choice. Joe is perfect for me. He may not be rich, but he gives me everything I need—and he's not high maintenance. Hell, he's not even low maintenance. He's more like no maintenance._

I spent the next hour in the capable hands of Johnny. Ranger was busy making phone calls and then he folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. I wasn't sure if he was asleep or not. When I was sitting at the drying table, he was still motionless. I crept over to him, knelt next to him on the couch, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Are you at your peak now?" I whispered in his ear.

He didn't open his eyes as he spoke. "You touch me in the right place, and I'll be peaking pretty quickly."

"You want me to call Anarosa?"

He opened his eyes and looked at my nails. "Pretty."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Are you ready to go?"

"You still haven't answered my question," I pressed.

He looked at me hard. "Babe."

I smiled at him. "Am I making you angry?"

We were headed for the car when Ranger tapped a number into his phone and held it to his ear. It seemed like a long time before he spoke.

"Hey, your wife has spent the entire morning harassing me, so I see two choices. Either I can take her back to my place and shut her up which will make me very happy, or I can take her with me to do a little surveillance on your boy, Kaiser. She's going to protest either way, so I'll let you guess where we went."

I couldn't believe my ears.

"You did not just call him!" I was praying he was playing with me.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You doubt me?"

"Give me that damn phone." I tried to grab it, but he held it up high, and I couldn't raise that arm.

"Get in the car first."

Ranger took my elbow and ushered me into the Porsche. He angled his way into the driver's seat and placed the key in the ignition.

"The phone?" I demanded.

Ranger started to back up as he handed me the phone. "Don't hit me while I'm driving."

I pushed redial, and Joe's number came up. I was horrified.

"How could you!" I screeched.

"You wanted me to call Joe," he answered calmly.

"He's going to think I've been all over you!"

"Hmm,"

"Hmm? That's all you've got to say?"

He licked his lips. "Hopefully, he trusts you."

That's when I lost it. "Trust? He's going to kill me!"

"Need a bodyguard?" He couldn't hold back the smile.

I couldn't hold back. I smacked in the shoulder hard.

"I asked you not to hit me while I'm driving."

"Then park!" I said in a voice bordering on hysteria.

"You want me to park? You remember what happened the last time we parked? Now that was a _horny _affair."

I wanted to be pissed, but it was funny. "Beep, beep." I giggled.

"Ah, finally—happy Stephanie."

He pulled up Kaiser's block and parked a few houses before Kaiser's on the opposite side of the street. Kaiser's Honda Accord was parked in the driveway.

"Looks like he's home," Ranger said quietly.

"Right, and he'll never spot us in this shiny, black. Porsche," I said sarcastically.

"I want to be spotted. I want him to know that I have no intentions of letting up. He wants to play? I'll play."

"Joe says he's dangerous."

"So am I."

Ranger pulled out his phone. "You can go."

A man I had never seen before came out from one of the yards down the street and walked past us. He adjusted his baseball hat as he walked by.

"Who is that?"

"The guys call him Rico Suave."

"Why?"

"Because he's smooth with the ladies."

The guy who passed us wasn't muscle bound like a lot of Ranger's other guys. He was rather lanky. He wore glasses that made him look a lot like John Lennon. His nose was different though. Not a bad looking guy, but certainly not the type of guy I would go for.

"Joe says Lester is smooth."

"Lester is flat out good looking. He doesn't even have to open his mouth. He doesn't have to be smooth because the ladies flock to him. Rico has to work at it, but he does it in such a way that the ladies don't even realize that they're being 'Rico'd.'"

"Huh."

"You might as well get comfortable. We're here for two hours till our relief shows up."

"You're watching him twenty-four hours a day?"

"Believe it or not, it's easier to watch him than it is to watch you."

Ranger settled back in his seat. I did the same. There wasn't much said over the next hour. A Volkswagen bug pulled up a few doors down from the house. A scrawny bleached blonde bimbo got out. She was clothed in provocative attire that screamed hooker. It was obvious she was here for one reason.

"She's carrying an ugly brown no-name handbag," I pointed out.

She entered the building, and all was quiet again for about twenty minutes. She finally emerged and as I expected, she was carrying a brand new Louis Vuittan purse over her shoulder.

"Babe, you stay here. I'll be right back."

"But…"

He gave me a stern look. "Stay."

He managed to get to the girl before she got to the car. At that moment, my cell phone started to ring. I didn't recognize the number. I was going to ignore it, but I thought it might be Joe calling me from the courthouse.

"Hello?"

"Boom! Say good-bye to your boyfriend." That was followed by laughter.

"Boom?" I looked up and saw the woman handing Ranger the handbag.

"Shit!" I practically fell out of the car. I was on my feet and running toward Ranger in a split second. My heart was pounding out of my chest.

"BOMB!" I screamed. "There's a bomb in the purse. Get rid of it!"

Ranger looked at me and then looked at the purse. The woman was already hightailing it to her car. Ranger realized what was going on, and he flung the purse as hard as he could toward the house. The hooker nearly ran him over as she laid rubber trying to get away. As soon as she passed him, he took off running in my direction. I just stood there frozen.

"Run, Stephanie!"

As I turned to run, Ranger was upon me. He engulfed me in his arms and pulled me behind the Porsche as the explosion sent splintered pieces of Kaiser's front porch into the stratosphere. Pieces of burning timber landed around us. The porch was ablaze.

Ranger released his grip on me and looked into my eyes. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I was worried about you."

"How did you know?"

"He called me. He said 'Boom'." Now, the tears began to flow. "I almost lost you, Carlos!"

"But you didn't. You saved my ass." He cupped his hand under my chin and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that could lead to sex. It was the kind of kiss that said thank you and I love you and a ton of other things. "Now I know how Cal feels. I owe you."

The first of the sirens could be heard in the distance. That's when I thought about Joe.

"Joe's going to be pissed."

"See? Aren't you at least glad that I told him where you'd be?"

By now Kaiser was standing in his driveway. The first police car pulled up and Carl Costanza and Big Dog jumped out.

"He bombed my house!" Kaiser cried out, pointing in our direction.

"Come on. Time to get arrested," Ranger announced.

"For what?"

"It's procedure. Kaiser's naming me. They have to take me in until they figure this whole thing out."

Ranger took my hand and led me across the street. Carl took one look at us and shook his head.

"I might have known. Anyone call Morelli?"

"He's in court," I remarked.

"Arrest him! He tried to kill me!" Kaiser blurted out.

"Calm down. Tell me what happened."

"He threw a frickin' bomb on my front porch. That's what happened!"

The fire trucks came blaring up the road, and we all had to move out of the way. Carl approached Ranger.

"Did you throw a bomb at his house?"

"I did, but it was _his_ bomb. It's a long story."

Carl sighed deeply. "I'm sure it is. You know I'm going to have to take you downtown to sort this out."

"I'll need you to take Stephanie as well. I'm her bodyguard."

Carl leaned in and spoke low, so Kaiser couldn't hear. "You're guarding her against _him_, right?"

"That's correct."

"Well, there's a warrant out for his arrest as well."

"And he's FTA," I added.

Carl turned to Ranger. "I think she can drive your car home."

Ranger pulled his keys from his pocket. "Don't go home. Go to Rangeman," he ordered.

"No. I'm going with you to the station."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Babe."

"Am I making you angry?" I teased, probably not a good idea in this situation.

He drew in a deep breath. "No," he said calmly. Ranger handed me the keys and Carl placed him in cuffs. He escorted Ranger to the back seat of the police cruiser. Kaiser was grinning from ear to ear.

Another police cruiser rolled up as the firemen were getting the blaze under control. The front of the house was in pretty bad shape. I would guess that the house would probably be condemned, and Kaiser would be looking for a new place to do his 'business'. Carl approached me and pulled me away from the immediate area.

"Ranger wants you to get in the car. We are going to arrest Kaiser, and it's not going to be pretty."

I looked over at the police car. Ranger was watching me. Ranger had been cuffed by the police twice in the last twelve hours because of me, and I felt pretty guilty about it. I nodded my head to Ranger and headed for the car.

"Princess!" Kaiser called out. "You're free from their tyranny!"

I practically vaulted into the seat and hit the lock. I watched as Carl and two other officers fought to restrain Kaiser. I didn't have to roll down my window to know he was spitting mad. What surprised me was the fact that Ranger said he had shot Kaiser in the leg, and yet Kaiser didn't appear to be hurt at all. I made a mental note to check the yard for blood.

The firemen were prying the porch apart making sure the fire was out as we pulled away from the curb. The police cruiser with Kaiser was in front of me, and Carl's with Ranger was behind me. Kaiser was taken straight to booking. Ranger was brought into an interrogation room. I was brought to a separate room and asked if I would like to make a statement as to what I knew of the situation. The detective assigned to the case was someone I had encountered before, but I didn't know him like I knew some of the others. I told him the story of my first encounter with Kaiser and his subsequent obsession with having me. I told him of all the measures that had been taken by Joe and Ranger to keep me safe and how Kaiser still got to me. I ended my statement by telling him of the phone call in which he said 'Boom' which alerted me to Ranger's impending demise. When I was done, he thanked me for my time.

"Do you know when they'll be releasing Ranger?"

"You mean Manoso? It wouldn't surprise me if he hasn't already made bail."

"Bail? You mean they pressed charges?"

"Kaiser pressed charges. I don't know if they'll stick especially after all you've told me. If I can get Officer Morelli to back up your statement, I'm pretty sure Kaiser won't have a leg to stand on."

"Speaking of legs—can you check him for a leg wound? Ranger was sure he'd shot him in the leg last night, but Kaiser seemed just fine today."

"Hmm, I'll absolutely check on that."

I was escorted to a waiting area in the hopes that Ranger had not left me here. I was sitting on a bench next to a guy who kept looking at me and licking his lips. I figured he was a pimp waiting for the release of his girl. My phone went off. I checked the number. It was Joe.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?"

"I'm in a very safe place."

"Are you at Rangeman?"

"No. I'm at the police station."

"Why are you at the police station?"

"You don't know?"

"No, I don't know!" His voice got more intense. "Please don't tell me you got arrested."

"No. Ranger got arrested."

"What the hell for?"

"Um—for bombing Kaiser's porch."

The guy next to me turned and looked at me intently. I got up and walked away from him.

"What?" I could almost hear him counting to ten.

"We were doing surveillance…"

Joe cut me off. "I told you to stay the hell away from him! Why can't you ever do as you were told?"

"Maybe because the last time I checked, I was your wife, not your daughter. Ranger called and told you where we'd be."

"Ranger made it sound like the two of you were getting along a little too well. He said you were harassing him, and he was going to take you back to his place and shut you up. I only know of one way to shut you up and that involves your lips wrapped around my dick. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

"You were supposed to trust me, but obviously that's too much to ask of you, so you know what Joe? Fuck you!" I disconnected and shoved my phone in my pocket.

The guy sitting on the bench was staring at me. He smiled and spoke with assurance. "You know, you could come home with me. I'll treat you _real _good."

I glared at him.

"I guess not," he said as he slid down to the end of the bench.

I sat on the bench and sulked. I was hopping mad. _Shut me up by putting his dick in my mouth! Well, not anymore. I'll show him! _I sat with my arms folded tightly across my chest, my legs crossed, and a scowl on my face. Ranger emerged about ten minutes later.

"Whoa! Who peed in your Wheaties?"

"Just get me out of here," I hissed.

"What about Morelli?"

"Morelli can kiss my ass."

"O-kay."


	30. Chapter 30

**I was very pleased with the response on the last chapter. For those of you who reviewed anonymously, since I couldn't answer you, I wanted to say thank you. Welcome to my newer readers: Missy Greys-addict, SiriusBlackFan2, MagsMom, and mamaofthree36. I appreciate all of your comments, and the emotions I saw being expressed by all of you. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story.**

BANKS GET ROBBED, TOO

"Where are we going?" Ranger asked as he followed me to the car.

"Take me back to your place. You once said you could make me forget about Morelli. Do it."

He reached over and brushed my hair behind my shoulder.

"Is that what you really want?"

I didn't smile. "Sure. Apparently, it's what he thought we were doing."

"Stephanie, do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Do you love Morelli?"

I drew in a deep breath. I was pissed at Joe, but I couldn't deny that I loved him, even so. "Yes."

"I'm pretty selfish. I'd want you to love only me."

He stared at me a moment awaiting my response. He already knew the answer. "I don't want to go home."

"I'll take you to your mother's."

"No. I don't want her to know me and Joe are fighting."

"Your sister, then."

"God, no. She'd tell my mother in a heartbeat."

"You need to help me out here. I'm not taking you back to my place. The temptation would be too much for me."

"Take me to my apartment."

"Isn't Mateo Living there?"

"Yeah."

"He's only got one bed."

I thought for a moment. "Take me to Tank's."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"

"Yes. He's got two bedrooms. I'm sure if I asked him nicely, he'd let me stay a few nights."

"Did Joe kick you out?"

"No."

"Then why don't you just go home?"

"Because, I'm pissed off at him. If I go home now, he's just going to fight with me, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being treated like a doll. He can't control my every movement. That's why I don't want you to tell him where I am."

"Babe."

"I'm not kidding, Carlos."

"Look, I can't promise that I won't tell him where you are. I can promise that if you don't want to see him, Tank will make sure you don't."

"I'll need clothes. Can we get some at Rangeman? I don't want to go home in case he's there."

Ranger sighed deeply. "Fine."

We got into the Porsche, and Ranger pulled his phone from the visor. He checked it. "Three missed calls. All from Morelli."

"Yeah, I shut off my phone."

"Stephanie, has anyone ever told you that you're hard headed?"

"Pretty much every day of my life."

"You know I think we are better off going to your house. Morelli is more likely to come to my place if he knows you're pissed off at him."

"True, but don't you think we should call Tank first?"

"We? I'm pretty sure this is all on you."

"Just dial his number."

"You're sure about this?"

I rolled my eyes at him. He dialed the number and handed the phone to me. Tank answered quickly.

"Yo."

"Hey, handsome. Nice to have you back."

"Stephanie?"

"Yeah. I have a favor to ask."

"From me?"

"Yeah. Joe and I had a falling out. I need a place to stay for a few nights. You have two bedrooms. Can I stay with you? Please?"

"Um—does Ranger know about this?"

"Yes, Ranger suggested it."

Ranger shot me a look.

"You're not allergic to cats, are you?"

"No. I love cats."

"Okay, sure."

"Great, we'll be there in a little bit."

"Um, I'm on a job. Can Ranger let you in?"

I put my hand over the phone and turned to Ranger. "You have a key to Tank's place?"

"No."

I went back to the phone. "He said he doesn't have a key."

"I'm pretty sure he can get in."

"Oh, right."

"What time do you get off?"

"Eight. I'll bring home pizza."

"Great." He was about to hang up. "Tank?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Ranger took me back to my house, and just as he predicted, Joe wasn't there. I grabbed a few things to sleep in and clean set of clothes for the morning, and we bolted back to Tank's apartment. Ranger picked the lock in less than thirty seconds. All three cats greeted us at the door thinking it was their master coming home. When they saw us, one the cats took off and hid. Another cat kept her distance, and the third was right up on Ranger. It was the same cat that had nuzzled up to Ranger the last time. Maybe, like me, she was drawn to the smell of Bulgari. Or maybe, like me, she thought he was the cat's meow.

"Babe, are you going to be all right here by yourself?"

"Sure, Carlos. I'm kinda tired. I might take a nap."

"I think I'll head on home, catch a few hours, and do the overnight. Give one of the others the night off."

"Thanks for being there for me today."

"I could say the same for you."

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"If it was us who were a couple, would you get mad at me for little things?"

"Excuse me, little thing? He said the only way to shut me up was to stick a dick in my mouth!" By the end of the sentence I was standing with one hand on my waist and waving the other in the air.

Ranger burst out laughing.

"You're laughing?"

"I was just thinking that I guess it wouldn't be a little thing."

"Get out!"

"I guess that answers my question."

"Just go, will you?"

"Okay, I'm going, but will you please turn on your phone in case I need to get in touch with you?"

"Fine!"

"Would you do that now?"

"What, you don't trust me either?"

"No, no. I trust you."

Ranger left, and I locked the door behind him. First I went to the bathroom. Then I went to the kitchen. The cats were all huddled in there waiting to be fed. I slopped some canned food into three dishes and placed them on the floor. I padded in my socks to the bedroom that seemed like the obvious spare by the lack of extras in the room. I powered up my phone and set it on vibrate. I placed it on the dresser, and it immediately went off. I picked it up to see it was Ranger. I drew in a deep breath and answered it.

"Yes?"

"Am I making you angry?"

"Touché."

"I love you, Babe. Have a good night."

I plopped on the bed, and the phone started to buzz again. I picked it up without looking at the number. "What now?"

"Where the hell are you?"

It was Joe.

"None of your damn business!"

"Don't play with me. Tell me where you are, and I'll come and get you."

"I'm lying in Carlos's bed and I'm about to make him very happy."

"Is that what you want me to believe?"

"I don't really give a shit what you believe. I have to go now, so he can shut me up." He started to speak, and I hung up.

I was too angry to cry. I dropped the phone into the dresser drawer and closed it. I climbed under the blanket on the neatly made bed. I closed my yes and sleep took me quickly.

I woke up when I heard Tank's voice. He was talking to his cats. I stretched and got up. I checked the phone. I had two missed phone calls from Joe and one voice mail. I remembered the last time I had neglected his voice mail. When I finally listened to it, Joe was all sweet and it made me want to run to him. This time, I knew it wouldn't matter what he said. His comment was cruel and demeaning, and I wasn't ready to let him slide on this one. I placed the phone back on the nightstand and climbed out of the bed. I sauntered into the kitchen where Tank was holding one of the cat's in his arms. She was rubbing her head lovingly against his chin. His gaze fell upon me as I entered the kitchen.

"Well, hello. I hope I didn't wake you."

"It's okay. I was hungry."

"I've got Pino's pizza right here and a six pack of diet coke. Thanks for feeding my cats."

"They seemed hungry," I said nonchalantly.

"They're always hungry. That's why they are so fat." He turned his attention to the soft gray feline in his arms. "Aren't you, Stella? You're my fat little girl."

_Oh boy._

He put the cat on the floor and grabbed some paper plates and napkins. "Let's eat in the living room. I'm missing Cold Case." We sat and watched TV as we ate our pizza. He never once asked me about the fight with Morelli.

"Did you hear? Ranger blew up Kaiser's porch."

"Yeah, he gave me the low down before he retired for the evening."

"What do _you _think?" I asked.

"I think you did a good thing, but you put yourself in danger the same way you did with Cal."

"I'd do it for you."

"I wouldn't put you in that situation. I think Ranger feels responsible. I heard him apologizing to Morelli on the phone when I entered his office."

"Great, just what I need, Joe bitching out Ranger."

"You have a bunch of guys who care about you. Forgive me, but I don't understand why you constantly place yourself in danger."

"Ranger assured me I wouldn't be in any danger."

"Ranger's not God. He can't predict the future," he said sternly.

"I know." I felt like a little girl being scolded by my father. "But Joe still had no right to make assumptions about me and Ranger and to say the terrible things he said," I offered in my defense.

"I don't know what he said, and I don't want to know. It's your relationship. I'm obviously no good at relationships. I mean, Lula nearly pushed me into a marriage."

"That's just it. I love Joe and I love being married to him, but I feel like I'm losing my identity."

"So create a new one. Reinvent yourself. Instead of Stephanie, the bounty hunter—be Stephanie, the nurturer."

"That sounds boring."

"I came from a family of three boys, and we all played sports. My mother was a nurturer, and I can tell you; she was never bored."

"I'll think about it."

We stayed up and watched TV until eleven o'clock before we decided to turn in for the night. When I went to my room, I checked my phone. Three more missed calls from Joe, two from my mother, and one from Valerie. I had a total of four voice messages. I decided to listen to them. I figured it was already late, and no matter what was said, I was going to stay put for the night. I dialed my voice mail and waited. The first one was from Joe.

"Stephanie, where the hell are you? I got to the police station, and you were gone. I _hope_ you didn't go to Ranger's. I'm going home. If you need a ride, call me and I'll pick you up." I erased the message. _ No apology, nothing. What a prick. _

I waited for the next message. It was from my mother. "Stephanie, where are you? Joe called me and asked me if you were here. Why would he ask me that? He said he was worried about you, so now _I'm_ worried about you. Call me back, please." I shook my head as I erased the message.

Message number three came from Valerie. I was in the middle of the message when the phone beeped. I switched it over. It was Lula.

"Hello?"

"Little girl, where are you? Morelli came to my apartment and banged on the door. He scared me half to death. Marcus thought someone was after him. He went out the window."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I don't know where you are. What do you think I told him?"

"I'm at Tank's."

"My ex-boyfriend, Tank? What the hell are you doing there?"

"He had a spare bedroom."

"Why don't you go home to your man?"

"I can't. He denigrated me, and I don't want to see him right now."

"He what?"

Suddenly I heard Joe's voice. "I'm coming to get you."

"I don't want to see you, Joe. Haven't I made that clear?"

"So what are you going to do? Add Tank to your list of boyfriends?"

_Again with the insults! _"Sure, I just spent the last three hours screwing his _brains out!_ You know what they say, once you go black, you never go back!" I disconnected and slammed the phone on the dresser. I went to Tank's room and knocked on the door.

"Hold on!" he yelled.

He opened the door wearing only his jeans. I had never seen Tank without a shirt. He looked like a linebacker. A little pudgy around the middle, but other than that he was solid like a rock—make that a rock wall.

"Joe's coming."

"Good. I'm glad you made up."

"We didn't, and he's on the warpath. I don't want to go with him. I need you to stop him."

"Are you sure about this? He _is _your husband."

"I need time to think and not be yelled at."

"Okay."

Sure enough, Joe arrived fifteen minutes later banging on the door like a cop on a raid.

"Go to your room. Easier to control him if he doesn't see you."

I did as I was told. I could hear them talking, but I couldn't decipher the conversation. Finally, I thought I heard Joe leave, but I wasn't sure. A moment later, Tank knocked on my door. "It's me; he's gone." Tank yelled through the door.

I yanked open the door half wishing Joe was standing there. "What did he say?"

"He said he's going to call you."

My phone started buzzing on the nightstand.

"That must be him. Maybe you should answer it."

"Okay, I will."

I grabbed the phone. "Hold on," I said quickly before Joe could say anything.

I turned my attention back to Tank. "Thanks, Tank."

"Any time."

Good night."

"Good night." He turned and walked towards his room. I closed the door but not all the way. There was a cat; I think it was Buster, sleeping on the far dresser. I didn't want him to be trapped in the room. I picked up the phone.

"I'm here."

"Talk to me. I want to know why you won't come home."

"I need time to think."

"About what?"

"About us."

"What are you saying? You don't want to be with me?"

"No. I don't know."

"What the fuck does that mean? We are married. Have you forgotten?"

"Well you don't treat me like a wife. You treat me like property!"

"Yeah, well most of the married guys I know have wives who work at the supermarket or the bank or they are housewives who raise their children. They are not out on the street spying on the man who tried to rape them the night before."

"Supermarkets and banks get robbed, too, you know. And you knew going in that I was not about to sit at home and raise kids."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have gotten knocked up."

"You know what? Fuck you, Morelli!" I hung up the phone and shut it down completely. The tears stung my cheeks as I did this. I crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over my head. I cried for what seemed like forever until I finally drifted off to sleep. **

When I woke I found a cat sleeping on my bed. I was pretty sure it was Stella. She got up when I stirred and she walked up to me. I reached out and pet her. She immediately started to purr.

"What am I going to do Stella?" I asked wishing she could spit out an answer. I pulled her to me and buried my face in her soft fur. I began to cry again. She seemed almost sympathetic. She continued to command my attention. I thought to myself that both Ranger and Joe would treat me the way Tank treated Stella. When he was home, he gave her plenty of love and attention, but otherwise, Stella was a prisoner in her own home. I concluded, I was just like Stella, a pet. I pulled my phone out of the drawer and powered it up. There was another voice message from Joe. I pressed in the password and waited.

"It's me. I want you to know that I am pretty pissed off at you right now. I thought that once I married, I wouldn't have to sleep alone. I _won't_ sleep alone tonight. I expect you to be home when I get there at six o'clock. If you choose not to be there, then I guess it's over. The ball is in your court, Stephanie." There was a brief pause. "And for what it's worth, I love you." I disconnected and looked at Stella.

"I have to go home." Stella flicked her tail. I took that as a sign that she agreed.

I got up and entered the kitchen. There was a note on the counter. It read:

_Stephanie,_

_ Make yourself at home. There's plenty of food in the fridge. Try the pork chop in the red container. I made it myself. Call me if you need anything. My number us 969-9351._

_ Pierre_

I rummaged through the refrigerator and found the red container. I opened it and it looked pretty good. _Pork chops and eggs. Why not? _I found the frying pan and cooked everything up. I toasted a couple of slices of bread and ate a tasty breakfast. Afterwards, I called my mother. She spent several minutes yelling at me and telling me I was ruining the best thing that ever happened to me. She finally agreed to pick me up. I gave her the address. I took a quick shower and dressed as quickly as I could. My bruise was healing. I had much more mobility in my arm.

I was waiting outside when my mother pulled up. I angled into the passenger seat, and she pulled away from the curb. We rode in silence.

"Mom, are you going to talk to me?"

"If you screw up this wedding, I'll never forgive you."

"I know, Mom. You said that on the phone."

"You just don't listen."

_Why does everyone say I don't listen? I hear everything everyone says to me._ "Mom, I'm going home, okay? He'll scream at me, and I'll scream at him, and then we'll have a huge fight."

"Why don't you turn the other cheek for once?"

"Dickie treated me like a doormat. I am not going to let Joe say demeaning things to me and then turn the other cheek."

"What in the world did he say?"

"Mom, I really don't want to tell you. It involves body parts."

She glanced over at me and creased her eyebrows. "Why don't you just tell him you didn't appreciate the comment, and that you were very hurt? Tell him you've forgiven him, but you'll never forget it."

"I will, Mom."

We pulled into the driveway, and I saw 'big blue' parked in the garage. I hated that car, but it was the only car that had managed to withstand the curse of Stephanie.

"Are you coming in?" my mother asked.

"I don't think so. I'm going to go home and clean house. I need to do laundry, too."

"That's a good idea."

I went home and cleaned the bathroom. I did two loads of laundry. I was cleaning the kitchen when the phone rang. It was Val.

"Hello?"

"I need you."

"What's wrong?"

"My car broke down."

"Where are you?"

"Kearny."

"What the hell are you doing in Kearny?"

"I took the girls to the Museum of Natural History. I parked in Kearny and took the tubes in." Valerie and I used to take the tubes from Kearny when we went to see concerts at Madison Square Garden in our younger days.

"Why don't you get Dad to pick you up? Or your husband?"

"Albert is with the babies. They've got what the girls had. I thought I'd get the girls out of the house for the day."

"Didn't they go to school?"

"It's a teacher work day."

"And Dad?"

"Dad's at the doctor's."

"What's he at the doctor for?"

"His yearly physical."

I drew in a deep sigh. "All right. Give me the address and I'll map quest it on my phone."

She gave me the address, and I jumped into 'big blue' to pick her up. Kearny was over an hour away. I had to stop and get gas. I thought I'd call Joe and let him know of my plans. The phone went directly to voice mail. Apparently, he had shut off his phone. I left a message. "Hey, it's me. We need to talk. I went home, but Valerie ran into a bit of car trouble, and I'm picking her up. I should be back before six. And don't think this is over because it's not. I'm pissed at you, too." I hung up feeling like I'd made my voice heard.

No sooner did I get on the turnpike when the traffic came to a screaming halt.

_Great!_

The traffic inched along as cars jockeyed for position, cutting from one lane to another. After ten minutes and maybe moving a mile, I called Val.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I'm stuck in traffic. I don't know if I should get off the turnpike and search for an alternate route or if I should hang in here and hope we pass whatever the issue is."

"Okay, you do whatever you think is best. I'm here and I see a McDonald's up the street. I'm going to take the girls there. There's a 'playplace' inside, so that should keep them busy."

"All right. I'll call you when I get past this mess."

I tossed the phone into the passenger seat and turned up the music. Fifteen minutes later, I came upon the problem. It was a motorcycle. The driver was lying in the second lane covered with a sheet. It made me shiver. As if on cue, my phone rang. It was Ranger.

"Hello?"

"Babe, where are you?"

"I've been sitting in traffic for the last half hour. I'm trying to get to Kearny."

"Kearny?"

"Val's vehicle broke down. She needed a ride."

"Was she in New York?"

"She was, but the van is in Jersey. She took the tubes into the city and back."

"Gotcha. Tank tells me you went home to Morelli."

"I haven't seen him yet. He left me a message to be home by six."

"Are you on your way back?"

"No. I haven't even gotten there yet."

"You're going to be late."

I sighed. "I know. I left him a message, so he'd know where I was. I'll call him after I pick up Val."

"Okay, call me when you can."

"I will. Bye."

I finally arrived at the McDonalds. It was almost six o'clock. I rushed inside and found Valerie on the phone with Albert. The girls were somewhere inside a tube overhead. Val issued a few last orders to Albert and hung up the phone.

"Girls! Come on! You're Aunt Stephanie is here!"

The girls took their time getting out of the colorful tubing that wound around the room. After they put their shoes back on, we all marched out to the parking lot and got into big blue. I picked up my phone off the passenger seat. It was shut off. I tried to power it up, but it was dead.

"Crap! Val, can I use your phone? I need to call Joe."

"Sure," she said nonchalantly, as she handed me the phone. I dialed the number and again, it went to voice mail. "What the hell? Why isn't he picking up?"

I decided to call the station.

"Twelfth precinct, Officer Gazzara,"

"Eddie. It's Stephanie. Is Joe still there?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The Suntrust Bank on Waverly was robbed only the perpetrator didn't get away. Now, he's holding hostages. Morelli's car is in the lot."

"Joe's inside?"

"We think so."

"Is he…?"

"I don't know. I don't really know anything more than that right now."

"Oh my God." I started to shake.

"Stephanie, what's wrong?" Valerie asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm scared."

"What? Why?"

"The bank that Joe goes to was robbed. The robbers were foiled somehow and now they have taken hostages. Eddie Gazzara said Joe's SUV was parked in the lot."

"Oh my God. Let me drive."

"No!"

"Give me the keys, Steph. You're too unstable to drive right now."

"Fine." We got out of the car and switched seats. As soon as my ass hit the vinyl, I called Joe again. The call went to voice mail just like before. I dialed Ranger.

He picked up quickly. "Hello?"

"Carlos, it's me, Stephanie, tell me what you know about the bank robbery."

"Babe."

"Is he?"

"I don't know."

I started to cry.

"The way I heard it was two people went in to rob the bank. There just happened to be two cops inside. One of the cops shot one of the robbers and then, in turn, was shot by the other perp. The second cop took cover. The perp wouldn't leave his buddy, so he's taken several people hostage. It's a standoff in there."

"What about the cop who was shot? Is he…?"

"The perp released one of the hostages with a list of demands. The hostage said she couldn't be sure about the victim because a couple the others dragged him behind a desk, and she was on the other side of the room. I just don't know, babe."

I broke down and began to sob.

Val looked over at me. "What happened?"

Ranger spoke at the same time. "Babe, are you driving?"

"No," I cried.

"Can I speak to Valerie?"

I looked over at Val through my tears. "He wants to speak to you." She took the phone, and I honestly didn't hear anything she said. I was lost in my panic that my Joe could be shot and bleeding—or worse. I felt dead inside. Finally, Val nudged me and handed me the phone.

"Babe, you need to remain positive."

"I can't live without him," I blubbered.

"I know. I'll call you as soon as I hear anything. I'm outside the bank right now."

"Okay," I squeaked.

I hung up and started to sob again.

"You don't know it's him," Val said in an effort to calm me.

"You're wrong. Joe pulled his gun and shot the first robber. I know it."

Val tightened her hands on the wheel and didn't answer. Thankfully, we didn't hit any traffic on the way back. It was the longest hour of my life. As we pulled onto Waverly, the block was closed of with yellow crime scene tape. We couldn't get any closer. I got out of the car and began running toward the bank. There was an ambulance parked out front. I froze in horror as I saw the paramedics wheel out a gurney. A sheet was pulled over the victim's head. I couldn't breath. My knees buckled and I started to collapse. Suddenly, out of nowhere, strong arms wrapped around me keeping me from plummeting to the ground.

"No!" I cried out in hysterics.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, I've had a crazy week with some great highs and some emotional lows. I'm grateful to say that things are back on track. I expect my formatted book to be ready to download sometime this week and that will mean diverting my attention away from writing FanFic. So, I apologize in advance if it takes more than the usual time to get the next chapter out. I promise I won't make you wait too long.**

JOE

"It's not Joe." It was Ranger's voice, but my eyes were still fixated on the body. "It's one of the perps."

Sanity once again invaded my head for the briefest of seconds. "Then, is Joe all right?"

"Babe."

"Where's Joe? Please tell me Joe's all right."

"They took him to the hospital. He was the cop who was shot."

My knees buckled again.

"Babe, you need to be strong. He's lost a lot of blood."

I started to struggle to get free. "Let go of me!" I screamed. I ran to the telephone poll a few feet away and I started to throw up. I felt like someone was ripping my insides out, and they were spewing out of my mouth. I felt cold and shaky. Ranger gave me my moment before walking over and pulling my hair out of my face. He rubbed my back as I stood hunched over waiting for the next wave of nausea.

"Come on. I'll take you to the hospital." He was very solemn. What bothered me was that I got no reassure. No 'he'll be fine', no 'they'll take care of him'. He wasn't fine, and my biggest fear was that I'd already lost him.

Ranger wrapped his arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm. "No! Stop that!" I twisted out of his grip. "He's _not_ dead!" I yelled. I said it more to try and convince myself than to convince Ranger.

Ranger helped me into the car and pulled on my seatbelt to buckle me in. "I can do it!" I said curtly.

Ranger raised his hands in surrender. "Fine." He stood and walked to his side of the car. He angled his way in and turned the key in the ignition. Spanish music blared through the speakers. Ranger immediately turned it off. "Sorry," he said in a quiet voice.

The entire ride there, I did not speak and neither did Ranger. He deliberately placed his hand on the console, which he never did unless we were holding hands. I could only surmise that he did it in case I wanted to hold his hand. I couldn't breathe and I didn't even know where my hands were. I kept picturing Joe lying there fighting for his life.

"I feel sick again," I said weakly.

"No, you don't. You need to be strong for Joe. You said you hadn't seen him a since the argument. He needs to know you love him. He's waiting for you right now to give him the strength he needs to survive."

I began to sob.

"Stephanie, I want to help you through this, but I can't. I can't heal your heart."

Ranger pulled up to the emergency entrance. He slid out of the car and walked around to my side. He opened the door for me, and I stepped out.

"Call me if you need me."

"You're not staying?"

"No," he said stoically.

"I need you!" I cried out with urgency.

"You need Morelli and he needs you." He stepped forward and kissed my forehead.

"I can't go in there alone," I pleaded.

"Babe, look at the parking lot. Half the police force is in there. You won't be alone."

The lot was full of police cars. I thought back to when Joe had been run over and his leg was broken a few years ago. There were a ton of cops at the hospital then. I sucked in a deep breath and marched with trepidation toward the entrance. I stepped through the double doors, and the place was crawling with cops. My eye caught Carl Costanza's, and he rushed over to me.

"Stephanie, thank God, you're here."

"How is he?"

"He's in surgery. That's all I know."

"I need to talk to someone."

"Come on." Carl escorted me to the front desk. "This is Officer Morelli's fiancée. She has questions."

"I'll see if I can locate the admitting doctor. He should be able to answer your questions," she said in a kind voice.

"Has anyone notified his mother?" I asked.

"I don't know," the receptionist replied.

I pulled out my phone and remembered it was dead. "Damn it!" I started to cry again.

"You need a phone?" Carl asked. "I have one."

"I don't know her number. It's programmed into my phone."

"I can take you to her house if you want," he offered.

"No. I'm not leaving this hospital until I see him."

"That could be a few hours," the receptionist replied.

"A few hours!" I cried out in panic.

"The surgeon who is operating on him will come out as soon as he is done to give you an update, but it will take time before he wakes up."

The front desk phone buzzed. She picked it up. "Yes, I called you, Dr. Eigles. The fiancée of the officer who was brought in is here looking for information."…"Thank you." She hung up. "He's coming right down."

The receptionists creased her eyebrows. Then she looked at me point blank. "According to this, the paramedic said the officer stated that he was married. If that is the case, then who are you?"

I leaned across the counter and spoke in a low voice. "I _am_ his wife."

She looked at me funny. "He just said you were the officer's fiancée."

I pulled the ring out from under my shirt. "We planned a big ceremony in a month. No one knows that we already went to the courthouse to get married."

Carl stepped back and looked at me in shock. "Don't say anything, _please_!"

"Hey, I can keep a secret."

The doctor came down to speak to me. He pulled me aside to a private corner of the room. "Are you Stephanie?"

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Eigles. I was the one who admitted Officer Morelli when he came in. As you know, he was shot in the abdomen." I immediately placed my hand on my own abdomen. "He's lost a lot of blood and he's very weak. I sent him up to emergency surgery. I don't know what kind of damage the bullet may have done. I believe it hit in the area of his pancreas, but it may have lodged in his kidney. He only needs one kidney to function, but my fear is he may be too weak to survive the surgery. All we can do is hope he is strong enough."

I started ringing my hands and nodding my head as the tears pooled once more.

"Dr. Shah is performing the surgery. He's one of the best in the state. If anyone can save him, it's Dr. Shah."

"Thank you."

"Oh—one more thing. Officer Morelli did say to tell Stephanie that he was sorry and that he loved her. I'm assuming that's you."

I placed my hands over my face and began to sob.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring you better news."

At that moment, Joe's mother and grandmother entered through the double doors and their eyes fell upon me in my hysteria.

"Oh no, _please!_ He can't be dead!" his mother cried out.

Gus Chianni, Joe's best man, rushed to Mrs. Morelli. "No, No, Mrs. Morelli. He's in surgery," he said in an effort to reassure her as I hastily crossed the floor toward them. Oddly enough, the one person that I would never have thought of as loving pulled me into her arms.

"I can't lose him, Grandma Bella!"

"You won't," she said sternly. "Joseph is strong. He would never leave you."

"It's not like he chose to get shot!" I lamented.

"Look at me!" she demanded.

I looked into her eyes. She had no tears, only a look of determination. She waved her bony finger in my face. "Don't you dare give up on him. He's going to be fine."

"But…"

"Say it! He's going to be fine."

"He's going to be fine," I repeated.

"Again."

"He's going to be fine." Regardless of her tactics, it worked. I felt better.

Mother Morelli was a different story. "Where is he? I want to see him."

I summoned my new found strength and addressed Joe's mother. "The admitting doctor told me Joe was hit in the abdomen, and he's not sure of the damage. He said he's lost a lot of blood. They took him straight up to surgery. All we can do is wait."

"We have to pray," Mother Morelli replied.

The three of us took hands and began to pray. It had been a long time since I had convened with the lord. I felt greedy that I was asking instead of giving thanks, but this was my Joe. He had to live. One by one, the officers joined our little circle, and before long, the waiting room was a massive circle of cops both uniformed and plain-clothed. Each of us took a turn and offered up prayers for Joe. The prayers lasted a good twenty minutes or so. When the circle broke, some of the officers went off in search of a cafeteria. I sat with Grandma Bella who rolled her rosary beads between her fingers.

"Where is your mother?" she asked out of the blue.

"Oh my God! I never called her! My phone is dead."

Mother Morelli pulled out her phone. "Here."

I dialed the number. "Hello?" she answered obviously unsure of who was calling her.

"Mommy?"

"Oh, no. It _is_ Joe, isn't it?"

"He was shot, Mom."

"Where are you?"

"At St. Francis. He's in surgery."

"Is he going to be all right?"

"I don't know," I squeaked, and with that, the waterworks began.

"Where's your sister?"

"Oh my God! I left her at the bank!"

"Okay, okay," my mother said calmly. "I'll be there in a bit. I'll call Valerie. Who's with you?"

"Everyone."

"Okay. I love you."

"Okay, Mommy." I disconnected.

Mooch and his wife arrived while I was on the phone. Mother Morelli was with him on the other side of the room. Grandma Bella was still sitting next to me clutching my hand.

In the next half hour, more people arrived. Anthony and Angelina, Lula, Connie, and Vinnie, too. Valerie called me on Mother Morelli's phone and said she couldn't come, but wanted updates. My parents arrived, and I ended up cradled in my father's arms. It seemed like forever before the surgeon finally entered the waiting room. There was surge of people that moved toward the doctor.

"Immediate family, please," he announced.

Mother Morelli, Grandma Bella, Anthony, and I all stepped forward. The doctor opened the door and summoned us into a quiet corridor. We all clasped hands as he began to speak.

"Hello. My name is Dr. Shah. I want you to know that Officer Morelli came to us in very bad shape. He'd lost a lot of blood. The bullet penetrated him here." He demonstrated by putting his fingers on his abdomen to indicate where the bullet had entered his body.

"The good thing was it wasn't a large bullet, so the damage wasn't as bad as we thought it would be."

I could feel my eyes widen with hope. "You mean he's okay?"

The doctor smiled. "He's not out of the woods, but we are very hopeful."

I couldn't help myself. I flung myself at the doctor. "Thank you!" I said exuberantly.

"You should thank Dr. Eigles. He called me personally and got me in here. They had him prepped and ready in the O.R. but the time I arrived. Another twenty minutes and we might have lost him."

"Can we see him?" I asked.

"He's still in ICU recovery. I can bring only two, and you will have to go in one at a time."

I looked at the Morelli's. There was no way I wasn't going to be one of the two. Grandma Bella spoke up.

"Angie and Stephanie, you go."

I let Mother Morelli go first. She spent about ten minutes inside while I paced in front of the ICU desk. She finally came out.

"He's still asleep," she said and then she hugged me.

I entered the room. There was a heart monitor hooked up, and he was still receiving blood. He was breathing on his own. He looked ashen to me. I approached him and brushed his hair lightly with my fingers.

"Joseph Morelli, you were supposed to meet me at the house at six o'clock. We were supposed to have a helatious fight, and then we were going to make up all night long."

I saw Joe's eyelids flutter.

"Joe, can you hear me?"

He moved his hand. It looked like he was trying to reach for me. I placed my hand in his.

"I love you, Joseph Morelli."

He squeezed my hand. His eyes fluttered again. It seemed like he was struggling to stay awake.

"It's okay. You sleep. I'll be right here."

I leaned in and kissed his lips tenderly. I laid my head on his shoulder and remained that way as I fought back the tears. After a few minutes I heard the steady rhythm of his breathing. I released his hand to see if he'd wake up. He was asleep. I pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat next to him. I laid my head on the bed, but again slipped my hand into his. I was emotionally exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. After a few minutes, a nurse came in.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone was in here."

"Dr. Shah said it was okay."

"I just need to check on him. It won't more than a minute or two."

"Sure." I moved away from the bed. The nurse lifted the blanket. Joe was naked underneath. I couldn't help but notice that Joe was sporting wood. I was embarrassed that she might think that I had something to do with it. She checked his dressing and covered him back up.

"He woke up before," I stated.

She looked at me funny. "Are you sure?"

"He didn't open his eyes, but he squeezed my hand."

"Huh," she replied.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't expect him to come around for about another hour."

"Oh—you think he was dreaming?" I asked feeling a little disappointed.

"I wasn't dreaming." It was Joe. He sounded very weak.

I rushed forward to him. "Joe?"

"Talk to me. I like the sound of your voice," he muttered.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Morelli?" the nurse said in a loud clear voice.

"Thirsty," he croaked. He still hadn't opened his eyes.

"Can you open your eyes for me, Mr. Morelli?"

"Tired," he replied.

"Okay. You sleep. We'll come back later," she said in a more sedate voice.

"Stephanie..."

"I'm not going anywhere," I assured him. I leaned forward and kissed his lips again, and this time he reciprocated. At least it seemed that way to me.

I sat back down in the chair. The nurse left us. I pulled the palm of his hand to my lips. It killed me to see him so weak. I had the sniffles from the emotions that were running through my head. I grabbed a tissue from the box on the table next to his bed, and I blew my nose. My body hitched, and I let out a little squeak as I tried to swallow back the tears. He raised his hand as if to search for me. I grabbed it and pulled it to my face just as a huge tear fell to my cheek.

"Don't cry," he murmured.

"Don't you leave me, Joe. I need you."

"This argument's—not—over."

I chuckled through my tears. "That's right. You still owe me an apology for the shutting me up with your dick in my mouth remark," I reminded him.

He brushed his thumb against my cheek. "I'm sorry."

I laid my head on the side of the bed and closed my eyes. I was still holding his hand. I don't know how much time passed before a gentle hand on my shoulder nudged me awake. It was Grandma Bella.

"Your mother sent me. She was worried when you didn't come back down."

"I'm not leaving him."

"What? Were you planning on sleeping in that chair?""

"If they let me."

The nurse walked in at that moment. "It's supposed to be one at a time," she announced.

"Sorry, I was asleep."

"He's probably going to sleep through the night. Visiting hours in the ICU were over at eight thirty. It's after ten," the nurse declared.

"Your mother wanted to know what she should do about the dog," Grandma Bella asked.

_Crap! I forgot all about poor Bob_. "Tell her I'll be right down. I want to talk to the nurse."

"I can do that." Grandma placed her hand gingerly on Joe's forearm and held it there. "I told you he wouldn't leave us."

"You did," I agreed with a weak smile.

Grandma left the room and I turned to the nurse. "How is he doing, really?"

"He's doing all right. His blood pressure is almost normal. His color is coming back. There's no bleeding from the site. They'll probably move him to a regular room in the morning."

"I'm not leaving. Where can I sleep?"

"You'd be better off at home. Nothing's going to happen tonight."

"You know nothing about my life. When someone says nothing will happen, something _always_ happens."

"Let me have your phone number. I'll call you if anything happens."

"You promise?"

"I promise. If you come back around eight tomorrow morning, he'll probably be awake."

"I'll be here at seven."

"Fine."

I walked up to Joe and gently ran my fingers through his hair. I kissed his lips. "Sleep well, my prince."

My mother stopped at the house, so I could get Bob and a change of clothes. I packed clothes for Joe as well, seeing as his clothes were probably trashed. I had a hard time sleeping. I couldn't stop thinking about Joe, and the fact that I nearly lost him. I buried my face in Bob's soft fur. He didn't seem to mind.

The alarm was set for six, but I hit the off button instead of the snooze button, and I ended up oversleeping. By the time I got to the hospital, it was eight thirty. I went straight up to the ICU and barged into his room. There was an old man hooked up to all kinds of contraptions, but no sign of Joe. I did an about-face and headed straight for the nurses desk.

"Where is he?" I demanded. I didn't recognize any of the faces on the other side of the desk.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" a gaunt nurse with glasses that balanced on her nose held with decorative eyeglass chains asked.

"My husband was in that room, and now he's gone." My anger was turning to panic and fear.

"Calm down, honey. What is his name?"

"Joseph Morelli."

"Ah yes, Officer Morelli. They just moved him downstairs. He's on the second floor."

I ran to the elevator and pushed the down button. I realized I hadn't even said thank you to the nurse. I yelled back to the desk. "Thank you!"

The elevator opened, and I stepped inside. As soon as the doors opened on floor two, I bolted to the nurses' desk. "Morelli," was all I said.

A rotund nurse with a smiling face looked up at me. "Ah, you must be Stephanie."

"Uh huh."

"I just came from his room. He's been waiting for you. He's a sweet guy."

"Can I see him?"

"Absolutely. He's in room two-o-eight, right down the hall here on the left."

"Thank you." I remembered to say it this time. I walked quickly down the hall and checked the door numbers. Two-o-two—two-o-four—two-o-six. My heart started to race. I turned into room two-o-eight. Joe was sitting up in bed watching TV. He saw me as I entered the room.

"There's my beautiful bride. Why are you always late?"

"Oh, Joe!" I dropped the overnight bag, walked right up to his bed, grabbed his face, and kissed him with all the fury I had in me. If we weren't in a hospital I would have ripped all his clothes off and had gorilla sex with him.—but we _were_ in a hospital, and Joe wasn't wearing any clothes except a hospital gown. I tasted his lips. I tasted his tongue. I wanted to taste his dick.

"Wow! Steph, did you miss me?"

"You jerk! How could you get shot?" I said in anger, now that I knew he was going to be all right.

"Gee, I don't know. I'm a cop and I happened to be in a bank that just _happened _to be robbed. People go into banks all the time. You got shot. What's your excuse?"

He had me. I had no excuse. Precautions were taken because I was putting myself in a potentially volatile situation. I huffed out my frustration. "I don't have an excuse other than it's my job."

"_Was _your job," he corrected me.

"I haven't quit yet. Technically, I'll be on Vinnie's payroll until after the baby is born."

"You are _not_ going back to work for Vinnie." I could see the anger in his face. His neck was taught.

"No. I don't want to go after skips anymore."

"Okay," he said quietly.

"How are you feeling?"

"I _was_ fine."

"Was?"

"I'm feeling some pain now—since you came in."

"Are you saying I cause you pain?"

He smiled. "Yeah, you're a pain in my ass." He knew I'd try to pull away, so he grabbed me by the wrist. "And I hope that pain never goes away."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Hey, I'd love to make you feel better, but I don't think the hospital staff would appreciate it."

He pulled me closer, so he could kiss me. Our lips touched, and I felt fire in my belly.

"Geez, get a room!" It was Connie. She entered the room with Mattie. Connie was carrying a vase with flowers.

"So, stud, what's the matter? You couldn't stand all the attention your wife got when she was shot, so you decided to get in on the sympathy?"

"Nah, I heard the nurses in this hospital were hot as hell, so I thought I'd see for myself."

Connie approached the bed and kissed Joe on the cheek.

"I guess you're feeling better," she commented.

Mattie made a beeline for me and gave me a heartfelt hug. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm a little tired, but otherwise I'm okay."

"I didn't know till this morning when I got to work," he said as he rubbed my shoulders.

"It's okay. This place was packed last night."

"Hey!" Joe said loudly. "Could you stop manhandling my wife?"

Mattie's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were checking out the hot nurses."

_Touché, _I thought to myself.

Before the conversation could turn into a pissing contest, Connie interrupted.

"Lula's busy holding down the fort till we get back. She said she's going to bring Grandma Mazur with her." My mother had told me that grandma spent the night at her boyfriend's apartment. She still wasn't home when I left this morning in Mom's car. Val still had 'big blue.' "Vinnie's at the jail bonding someone out. Oh! I forgot to tell you, Kaiser called and asked Vinnie to bond him out. Vinnie refused, and then he had me call the other bond offices and tell them that he skipped on us, and that he's threatened to kill two of our bond agents. Hopefully he won't get out before his trial."

"That's a relief," Joe exclaimed.

"Knock, knock."

"It was Eddie Gazarra, Allen Barnes, the cop who was at the bank with Joe at the time of the robbery, and Billy Dorsey, another plain clothes officer. A half hour later, Joe's mother and grandmother arrived. I walked Mattie and Connie out and headed to the cafeteria to find food. I hadn't eaten before I left the house. After looking at the items on the menu, I opted for a bacon and egg sandwich which really wasn't half bad. I was always told that hospital food sucked. I took my coffee with me upstairs. Everyone was standing outside the room. Eddie and friends were gone, but Anthony and Angelina were there as well as Chip Burlew and another uniformed officer.

"The nurse is in with him."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. A minute later, a pretty blonde nurse exited the room and she was laughing. She was too cute. I didn't like her.

"You're too funny, Mr. Morelli," she said before she turned toward the mob standing in the hall.

_I'll give him funny, _I thought to myself. I marched in and sat in the chair in the corner and watched the TV.

Joe noticed immediately. "Sweetheart, is something wrong?"

"Nope." I grabbed the remote and flipped the channels until I found a talk show that kept my interest.

The next hour went the same way. Someone would leave, someone would come. We weren't alone again until after he lunch was served, which was less than spectacular since they were keeping him on liquids. That meant soup, jello, and juice. _Yum._ They wanted to make sure he was digesting all right. It turns out they removed his pancreas, and luckily the bullet just missed his kidney. I was still sitting in the chair when the last visitor left.

Joe took a spoonful of soup.

"You mind telling me what's wrong?"

"I just want you to come home."

"Believe me; I'd like to go home. Did you bring me any pajamas?"

"Yeah, I brought your Princeton sweats and a couple of T-shirts."

"Underwear?" he asked.

"What and cover your manhood, so the pretty nurses can't see?"

"Ahhh, I knew there was something you were pissed off about."

"Well, you tell everyone about the 'hot' nurses, and then Blondie the bombshell comes out of your room giggling like a schoolgirl."

"I need a nap. You want to lie down with me?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"I like brunettes." He lifted the blanket. "I like brunettes a lot."

He had a hard-on.

"Joe!"

"You want to take care of me?"

"Are you crazy? You nearly died yesterday."

"Babe."

"Don't call me babe."

"Right, Ranger calls you babe." Joe lowered the blanket. "Forget it."

"Joe."

"I'm tired. Maybe you should go home and check on Bob."

"Bob's at my mother's house."

He rolled away and pulled the blanket over his shoulder.

I drew in a deep breath. "Fine." I dragged my chair to the door. I closed the door and pushed it up against it.

I pulled the blanket back exposing the hospital gown. "Wow, sexy."

"I know you're talking about what's underneath."

"How do I know you're not just trying to shut me up?" I said sarcastically.

"You are _not _going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope."

"You make me insane. You know that?"

"Yup." I pulled the hospital gown off of him. I unbuttoned the top two buttons on my blouse exposing my cleavage that spilled out over the red bra that I had put on yesterday in anticipation of a wild night.

Joe licked his lips. "Mmmm, red velvet cupcake."

His dick was at half mast. I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned on my side to suck his dick. As soon as my tongue touched the tip, his cock moved. My eyes caught Joe's. He was watching my every move. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his long smooth cock in my mouth. As much as I enjoyed what I was doing, I was scared to death that someone would knock on that door. I prayed he would cum quickly. Luckily, he must have been reading my mind because he announced that he was going to cum after only a few minutes. He placed his hand on the back of my head and guided me. When the sperm shot into my mouth I used my tongue to keep it from hitting me in the back of the throat. I loved the taste of his sperm. It was smooth and mellow. Just as I swallowed the last of it, there was a knock on the door.

"Mr. Morelli, are you okay in there?"

"Yes, I'm getting changed," Joe called out.

He turned his attention back to me. "I love you, you know that?"

"Good." I kissed him briefly and turned to open the overnight bag. I pulled out his boxers. "Come on."

He groaned as he slid to the edge of the bed and allowed his feet to drop to the floor. I got to my knees and helped him to lift each foot into the boxers. I helped him to his feet and then pulled his boxers up and over his now defunct erection. I did the same with his sweats. He pulled his T-shirt over his head as I slid the chair away from the door and opened it.

The pretty blonde nurse gave me a rather odd look. "You could have used the bathroom to change," she announced as she entered the room. "Mr. Morelli, so good to see you up and moving. You are making my job that much easier. I was coming in to do just that."

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you."

I rolled my eyes at him and plopped into the chair. I want you to take a little walk for me. The hall goes in a complete square. I need you to walk all the way around it. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Sweetheart, you stand in front of me, and I'll follow you anywhere."

"Asshole!" I blurted out.

He looked over at me and smiled and then looked back at the nurse. "As long as I have that beautiful, angry, lady over there by my side."

11


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey everyone. Sorry it's taken so long. Working really hard on the book and been busy with personal stuff. Hopefully, I'll get back on track soon. Hope you like the chapter.**

A MAN'S GOTTA DO

After our little walk around the third floor of the hospital, Dr. Shah made an appearance. He explained to Joe in much more detail the procedure that had been performed. He explained that although the bullet missed his kidney, it did hit the distal end of the pancreas. He said he did something called a 'Whipple procedure' to remove the damaged part of the pancreas. He said normally a patient with cancer would have the procedure and would be kept in the hospital for up to two weeks. Since Joe was healthy prior to the injury, he was hopeful that Joe would be able to leave in half the time, although he wouldn't be able to return to work for a much longer period than that unless he went back on desk duty. Joe looked miserable.

"You mean I have to stay here for a week?" Joe asked obviously frustrated.

"The biggest issue with any surgery is internal bleeding. The other problem is your intestines. If the enzymes produced by the pancreas are not being produced in a normal manner, the food you digest can cause whole new set of issues. That's why we've got you on the IV in conjunction with a liquid diet. Tomorrow, we'll take you off the IV and in a few days, we put you back on solid foods. We want to give your system time to heal."

"I'm getting married in four weeks. Am I going to be able to walk down the aisle for my wedding?"

"Unless unexpected problems flare up, I'm going to say yes."

"A week." Joe sighed in exasperation.

"You know, Officer Morelli, a few inches the other way and you wouldn't have any pancreas at all and your chances of survival would have been significantly lower—and even if you survived, you would be on insulin and enzyme therapy for the rest of your life. Your career as a police officer would be over," Dr. Shah explained in a rigid voice.

I had to intervene. "Than you, Dr. Shah. We appreciate everything you've done for Joe."

"It's my job, and like Officer Morelli, I chose this profession because I love it. Now rest and let your body heal. If you feel extreme pain or tenderness, don't hesitate to let the nurses know."

"I will," Joe replied.

Dr. Shah finished his exam on Joe and headed toward the door. Joe called out to him. "Hey, Doc?"

"Yes, Officer Morelli?"

"Thanks for saving my life."

Dr. Shah smiled and went on his way.

I spent the rest of the week focused on Joe and the wedding. With Kaiser locked up and unable to post bail, I was free to live my life again without bodyguards. With Joe in the hospital, I had the sole use of the SUV. Ranger and his merry men were not part of my life, and I quickly realized how much I missed that.

I went to see Joe in the hospital every morning, and every morning he complained that he was starving. He said he was sick to death of the liquid diet. He begged me to go get him some pizza and beer. I'd stay with him a few hours each morning and then go about my day which included getting his paperwork straight. Joe was receiving workman's compensation, since Joe was acting in the capacity of an on-duty police officer when the incident happened.

I also managed to get my wedding party together, and we shopped for dresses. They settled on burgundy dresses. I was very relieved.

On Joe's fifth day in the hospital, he was particularly ornery. I took him into the bathroom, got on my knees, and pleasured him. His mood improved dramatically after that. I understood his anxiety. I didn't like sleeping at home without him. I spent one night alone and then stayed at my mom's the rest of the week.

On my sixth day of Joe duty, he reverted back to crankiness, and it was leaving me burnt out. They even served him solid food, but it wasn't like the food in the cafeteria. It was bland and for the most part, tasteless.

I decided to give Ranger a call. I was surprised when it went to voicemail. He called me back an hour later as I was driving to the supermarket to pick up a few items for my mother.

"Hello?"

"Yo, you called?"

"I did. I was hoping, maybe, you were free for dinner?"

"Babe, I'm in Miami."

"Oh—I didn't know. When are you coming back?"

"Not sure."

"Oh." There was a long pause.

"I'm looking into real estate. I'm considering moving the main office here."

"You're going to move…" I swallowed hard. "…to Florida?"

He didn't answer.

"No!"

"Babe."

"You're doing this to get away from me?"

Again, he didn't answer. The tears erupted.

"I don't want you to leave!"

"Babe, we'll talk when I get back."

"No!"

"I have to go."

"Is this because I didn't call you? I've been a little busy."

"No. I understand that you have your life to live. I don't blame you. I just…"

"I need you," I blurted out.

"It's not good-bye, Stephanie. I'll still have the office in Trenton. I really have to go."

He disconnected before I could say anything more. By this time, I had pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket. I sat in the car and cried. I hated the thought of not having Ranger in my life even though I knew he was right to run. I was trying to pull myself together when my phone rang. It was Joe.

"Hello?" My voice cracked when I answered.

"Hey, are you coming to see me tonight?"

"Yeah, sure." I sounded less than enthusiastic.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Again, my voice telegraphed my sadness.

"Stephanie, I know when you're upset."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You talked to Ranger, didn't you? He told you he's leaving."

I was shocked. "You knew?"

"He called me the other day before he left for Miami. He asked me not to say anything."

"And you listened? Are you kidding me?"

"Babe, I owed him that."

"DON'T CALL ME BABE!" I screamed, and then I hung up. The waterworks returned, and I sat in the car crumbling from the emotions I felt. My phone rang again. It was Joe. I ignored it. I was so angry at him right now. I had my head down, so I didn't see the figure approaching me. The knock on the window scared the daylights out of me. I looked up, and Tank was standing there.

I opened the door and practically vaulted out of the car and into his arms. I knew immediately that Ranger had sent him, and that they were still tracking my movements.

"How could he leave me?" I wailed.

"It's hard for him."

"But he said he'd never marry. I thought he was happy that I had chosen to move on with my life with Joe."

"He is, but you knew he was in love with you."

"I love him, too," I squeaked.

"Then you should understand why he needs to step back. Separation is the only way for him to heal."

For the first time, I questioned my decision to marry Joe. It was, of course, only a fleeting thought, but the fact was, it was there.

"I'll still be here. He's leaving me in charge. I know I'm not Ranger, but…"

I wiped away my tears. "You're a good friend."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. I would hate for us to lose touch simply because Ranger isn't around."

"He wants you to keep an eye on me, doesn't he?"

"I'd like to keep an eye on you—if you don't mind."

"No. I don't mind. I need to pick up a few things at the store. Would you like to join me?"

"Absolutely." Tank offered his arm, and we entered the store together. "How is your collarbone?" he asked.

"It's a lot better. I can lift my arm over my head. I just can't push or pull with that arm. So, I'm good for the most part."

We shopped in silence for a few minutes.

"Who is he taking with him?"

"Only Hal and two guys from the office who are single and don't mind making the move. I think he's just going to go down there set up the office, make sure it's running effectively, and then he'll be back."

"What about Ella?"

"Oh, I suspect she'll eventually head down there. It would be a new challenge for her."

He could tell by the look on my face, that I wasn't happy about it.

"You're afraid if Ella goes, that he won't come back."

"She does everything for him."

Tank laughed. "A wife without the benefits."

My eyes began to pool with tears.

"He'll be back. I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right."

I checked out with my items and said my good-byes to Tank. I drove home to my mother's. She fed me dinner, and then I headed to the hospital. I needed to apologize to Joe for hanging up on him and I was afraid to call him. I was afraid he'd hang up on me. I arrived at the hospital and poked my head in the door.

"Can I come in?"

"Are you going to yell at me some more?" Joe asked.

I stepped in. "I'm sorry." I walked over to the bed, and he opened his arms. I climbed in, and he held me.

"I know this is hard for you," he whispered as he kissed my head.

"I feel like I chased him away."

"You didn't. He's running away from his own demons. I'd probably run, too, if the shoe had been on the other foot."

Joe had me cradled in his arms. "I have some good news."

"I could really use some good news."

"I'm going home tomorrow."

I lifted my head. "Really?"

"You think you might want me back in your bed?"

"It's your bed, and I miss being there."

The next couple of weeks, Joe and I became very close. Neither of us was working, so we were together all the time. We worked together on the wedding, visited both his family and mine, and worked on making the house 'ours'. I tried to keep Joe from overdoing it, but he was a bear when it came to the home projects we undertook.

Ranger came home briefly to do business and to see me. At least, that was what he said. I went to lunch with him. Joe was good about it.

I arrived at Rangeman as requested. I punched the button on the elevator for the top floor. I didn't have to knock on the door. Ranger was waiting. He wasn't wearing his Rangeman black. He was wearing black jeans, but he wasn't wearing the traditional black on top. Instead, he was wearing a charcoal gray v-neck sweater pushed up to the elbows. He was beautiful.

"Come in," he said, as he rounded the couch and headed toward the door he had left open for me. He directed me to a table set with plates and silverware. He held out my chair. I was about to sit, and then I turned to him instead. I didn't know what he was expecting me to do. I wanted to hug him. Hell, I wanted to drag him in the bedroom.

"Carlos, you don't have to move," I blurted out. I was visibly shaking.

"Babe, it's only for a little while. My business is doing well in Miami. I am expanding."

I looked into his eyes. "Then it's not because of me?"

He looked into mine as if he were trying to see into my soul. "I would never lie to you. The idea of expanding at this time has everything to do with you."

"Do you think putting distance between us is going to be a cure all?"

"No. I'll admit the more I thought about you, the more I realized that it was the distance that had me thinking. I'm never going to forget you and I'll always be there for you."

I was trying very hard not to cry. I reached up to his face. He grabbed my hand and pressed my palm to his lips. "I thought we were here to have lunch."

I smiled and wiped the tears from my eyes. "We are."

We spent the next hour eating and Ranger told me about his plans to expand the business in Miami. I heard about half of what he was saying. I was caught in that place where I couldn't get the fact that he was leaving out of my head.

"So…" he finally said. "You'll be officially tying the knot in a few weeks."

"Won't you be there?"

"I don't think I can make it."

I tried so hard to remain strong, but once again the pregnancy didn't do much to help my emotional state. Huge tears formed and fell to my cheeks.

"Stephanie, please understand. This is difficult for me."

I nodded my head in agreement because I really couldn't speak. He stood up and reached for my hand. I gave it to him willingly, and he pulled me from my chair. He placed his hands on either side of my face and he gazed into my teary eyes. I thought he was going to kiss me. I felt joy and apprehension all at once.

"If I asked you to run away from all of this and come with me to Miami, would you do it?"

I had the devil on my left shoulder screaming, "Go! Think about the adventures you would have with him, and the sex! You know you're hot for him!" On my right shoulder was my angel. She was speaking calmly. "Think about everything you'd be giving up. Besides the man you've loved since you were sixteen, there's your family. You mother would never speak to you again. The whole burg would hate you! Not to mention Joe, he'd be devastated. And the baby, you want to take that baby away from her father?"

I instinctively placed my hand over my abdomen where my little baby bump was becoming more obvious every day.

"No, Carlos. I can't."

"I knew you wouldn't." He paused as he brushed his fingers across my cheek. "I just need a little time. I'll be back, I promise."

He pulled me into a tight hug and held me for a long minute. As he pulled back he said, "I'll walk you to your car."

We took the elevator down in silence. Big Blue was waiting for me in the garage. He stared at it for a moment. "Are you sure I can't give you a vehicle as a wedding gift?"

"Where am I going to put a baby in a Porsche?"

"Well, you could let Morelli drive it," he said with a grin.

"Right, and all the other cops will think he's on the take."

"You could take the SUV."

"No, you use that for work. Thank you for the offer, but Joe and I will be just fine. Besides, we have the Ducati. Joe loves to drive that thing. I'm sure we'll get another vehicle before the baby arrives."

"Okay. You call me anytime. I'm always here for you. Keep in touch with Tank. I can continue to track you if you want."

"That's up to you. I can't keep you from stalking me."

Ranger frowned.

"I'm kidding. I know it's for my benefit. There are still a lot of crazies out there that might have an axe to grind with me. It's nice to know that you and Tank have my back."

He grabbed my hand and held it up to his lips. He kissed it gently. "You have a good life, Stephanie."

The reality once again came crashing down. My lip began to quiver. The tears quickly formed. "You said you would come back." I whimpered.

"And I will."

"Soon?"

"Soon enough." I crashed my face unto his chest. I felt him let out a deep sigh. "Are you going to be able to drive, or do you want me to have Tank take you home?"

I backed away and wiped my face. "I'll be okay."

Ranger opened the door for me. I slowly angled my way into Big Blue. Ranger shut the door, and I rolled down the window. He placed his hands on the edge and leaned toward me.

"You know I love you, right?" I said in a tiny voice.

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Drive safe."

He backed away from the car, and I backed out of the spot. I waved half heartedly at him as I pulled out of the garage.

I was leery of going home, since it was obvious that I had been crying. I pulled into the driveway and sat for a minute trying to pull myself together. I gathered my courage and got out of the car. There was no way that Joe wouldn't know that I had been crying, but I was going to try to go in smiling anyway.

I opened the door and Bob came trotting up to me. "Hey, Bob," I said as I pet his head. I could smell the aroma of garlic coming from the kitchen. I noticed a few rose petals on the floor. I stooped to pick them up and found there were more. I followed the trail of pink petals to the kitchen. Joe was standing there wearing nothing but an apron that said 'TRY MY NUTS' which happened to be the name of a store that we went to a few years back in North Carolina, that sold, yes, nuts. He was holding a single pink rose.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

My eyes teared up again as I forced a smile. "You're not mad?"

"Hey, I'm just glad you came back," he said sincerely, as he offered me the rose.

"Where was I supposed to go?"

"I'm pretty sure you got an open invitation to Florida."

I could feel the blush on my face.

He stepped forward and caressed my lower jaw. "I'm hoping you turned him down."

"Joe!"

"Just tell me you turned him down. I need to hear it."

"Of course I turned him down! I'm your wife!"

"I know that. My fear was that you'd forget."

I placed my hands on his face. "You're so stupid." I leaned in and kissed him. I kissed him long and hard. He reciprocated—with the hard part. He pulled me tight to him and his manhood was ready for business.

"I'm feeling needy," he whispered in my ear.

"What about dinner?" I asked.

"It's ready to go in the oven, but it only takes fifteen minutes."

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise. I have a surprise you can have right now." He hooked his finger inside the V-neck part of my shirt and pulled me towards the stairs. All the while, he continued to kiss me. As he backed up the steps he lost his footing and fell backwards.  
>I took the opportunity to lift his apron and I began to suck on his dick. He was thoroughly enjoying it, and then Bob decided he wanted to join in the fun. He ran up the stairs past me and attacked Joe. Joe was getting licked on both heads at the same time. Joe started laughing. I started to giggle.<p>

"Stop!" he yelled.

I stopped.

"Not you! Bob!"

I backed off of Joe. "Bob, come on. Do you want to go out?"

Bob bounded down the stairs. I let him out in the back yard. When I returned, I expected to find Joe in the bedroom, but he was still sitting on the stairs in all his glory.

"Joe? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I want you to finish what you started."

"On the stairs?"

"Only this time, if you could take off your clothes…"

I pulled my sweater over my head.

"Slowly…"

I knew what he wanted. I became seductive. I unsnapped my jeans and slowly wiggled my way out of them. My baby bump was obvious, but Joe seemed not to notice or maybe not to care. His dick was at half mast, but as my clothes came off, his body responded. I turned around, so he could undo my bra for me since reaching around my back was one of the few things that still inflicted pain. Joe pulled me to him, so I was sitting in front of him on the step. He began caressing my breasts as he slipped the bra from my shoulders. I leaned my head back and his lips met mine. He lowered his hand, and I felt his fingers rake over my panties. It felt sooo good. I knew we would never make it to the bedroom. We were going to do it right here on the stairs. He was kissing my neck, and I was dying for him to penetrate me. He stopped and whispered in my ear. "Now, about that blowjob."

At that point, I would have done anything he asked. I turned, so I was on my knees on the step. I was hungry for him and I ravished his dick. Joe stroked my hair as I enjoyed him. Finally he stopped me. "Stop or I'm going to come."

He turned me around again and resumed the foreplay he had started before. He started out gently grazing his fingertips over my panties and then he pulled them aside so he could get his fingers between my labia. He rubbed my clit and slowly slid his finger into my vagina. All the while, he was kissing my neck. I wanted him in me.

"Joe, please."

"Please what?" he teased.

"Please fuck me."

"I love it when you beg." He pushed me gently away. "Get on your knees."

I stood up and Joe pulled my panties to my ankles. I stepped out of them. Joe rose to his feet and passed me, so he was now on the lower step. He came up behind me and took me doggie style. As he plunged his swollen cock into me, I moaned with delight. I was amazed at how comfortable doing it on the stairs was. He was deep, and it felt so good. His hands were on my breasts and he held on tight. I knew when he was about to explode because he became very tight inside me, and that's when I could count the strokes until I would achieve my own orgasm. I only hoped I would finish before he got there. He released my breast and reached for my clit. He rubbed his finger in a circular motion and each time he rammed his dick into me, I sucked in my breath. I kept thinking, _just a few more, I'm almost there._ Then the sensation of immense pleasure surged through my body. Before I could even cry out, Joe responded.

"Damn, Cupcake. You are so tight. I'm going to come." He barely finished the words when he pushed me into the step and squeezed my hips as he cried out in his own ecstasy. As soon as he was done, he pulled out and engulfed me in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you, too, stud."

"You know you've called me that a lot lately."

"It's you nickname!" I said proudly.

"Stud?"

"Uh huh."

He looked pensive. "I can live with that."

"Good, now are you going to tell me what you are making for dinner?"

"Shrimp scampi."

"Get out."

"No, really. I got the recipe from my mother."

"You told your mother that you are cooking dinner?"

"No, I told her we were going to do it together because we are a team."

"So, you lied to your mother?"

"Nope. You're going to help. You can make the salad."

"You think that's all I'm good for is sex and salad?" I sounded indignant.

He grinned. "Well you do make a hell of a salad!"

Joe got up and ran up the stairs to the bedroom. I followed him and found him lounging on the bed. I lay next to him and began to gently caress his abdomen. My fingers slowly trailed across the scar that remained from the gunshot wound and subsequent surgery. We hadn't really talked about it other than the facts that led up to the shooting.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?" He was lying on his back staring at the ceiling.

"When you got shot—how did you feel?"

"I felt pain."

"I know you felt pain, but, I mean—did you think you were going to die?"

"Yeah," he whispered.

"What did you think about?"

"You, mostly. I thought that God was playing a cruel trick on me. I spent the last five years of my life waiting for you to finally tell me you would marry, and now I wasn't even going to get the chance to show the world how much you mean to me. I thought about our child. I thought how ironic it would be for Ranger to raise my little girl. I fought the good fight and I thought in the end he would have it all."

"Joe, I would have crumbled without you."

"Here I've been so worried about losing you to some psycho, and I was going to lose you because it was me who died."

"I don't think I understood how you felt about it until that day. I was so angry at you, because even before they knew who the cop was that got shot, I knew in my heart that it was you who pulled the trigger."

"It's my job, Steph."

"There were two cops in there. How come he didn't pull the trigger?"

"What do you want me to say? That I would have done things differently? If I'm afraid to pull that trigger, then I shouldn't be a cop."

"Are you saying you wouldn't even consider me if a similar situation arose?"

"I can't. If I had taken the time to consider my life or my family, who knows how it may have turned out?"

"Yeah, a couple of bank robbers might have gotten away with a few thousand dollars from a bank that was insured!" I said indignantly.

"Stephanie, you weren't there. The guy I shot was waving his gun in the teller's face. He told her she was going to die. She was hysterical. One of the customers told him to leave her alone. He fired off a shot at the guy, but he missed. That's when I took him down. He was fucking crazy. Who knows how many people he would have shot? He was totally unstable."

"Then why didn't Allen shoot the guy who shot you?"

"I don't know. I was in the floor in pain by that time. Allen took cover. He wasn't anywhere near me. It was another guy, a black dude that dragged me into the cubby under the desk. After that, I only knew what was happening as the guy communicated to me. There was an older lady who climbed under the desk with me, and she put my head in her lap. She tried to comfort me. She told me everything was going to be all right. After a while I passed out and I don't know what happened or even how long I was under the desk."

I started to cry.

"I love you, baby." He pulled me into his chest and held me.

I woke to the fabulous smell of shrimp scampi. I was still lying naked in the bed, and Bob had replaced Joe as my partner. I rolled out of the bed and grabbed my robe off the bathroom door. Bob lifted his head and watched me. As I headed for the door he slowly got to his feet and jumped off the bed. I descended the stairs and entered the kitchen. Joe was wearing only his jeans.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"You wanted me to make salad?"

"It's all done. How about if you kiss the chef instead?" He walked over and opened my robe.

"Joe!"

"What? We had sex on the stairs a few hours ago! Are you afraid old Mrs. Lukach us going to peek in the window at us?"

"Maybe."

He grabbed my ass. "Then she'll be envious of both your beauty and the attention I lavish on you."

How could I argue with that? He kissed me.

"Dinner's about ready. You want to carry the rice to the table?"

"You made rice?"

"I made saffron rice—and Italian bread."

"And salad?"

"For my beautiful wife."

I carried the rice to the dining room. The table was set with candles and there was a beautiful bouquet of pink roses. The single rose had obviously come from the bunch.

As we sat at the table, I felt very special. The scampi was delicious. The rice was delicious. Everything was delicious.

"Don't forget, tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment," Joe announced. "I'm going to ask them to let me go back to work."

"Why? Don't you like spending time with me?"

"Of course I do, but I'm starting to feel…"

"Useless? Gee, now you know how I feel."

"I'm not pregnant."

"You're recovering from a gunshot wound."

"I'm fine; besides, they'll only put me on light duty. That means I'll be stuck behind a desk."

"I thought you wanted to finalize our honeymoon plans?"

"We can do that tomorrow. You still want to go to one of the islands, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, so we'll go see the travel agent tomorrow and book everything."

"You know, I may be pregnant, but I'm fine, too. I should be able to work light duty, like behind a desk."

"I thought Ranger was moving to Florida."

"He is, but the office is still here. I bet he'll be short handed if he takes a few guys with him. He's leaving Tank in charge." I stared into his eyes as I pleaded my case.

"Let me think about it."

I jumped out of my chair and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Oh, Joe! Thank you!"

"I didn't say yes. I said I'd think about it."

I kissed him quickly. "I know."

"I might say no," he reminded me.

I kissed him again. "I hope you won't. I'll be a much better wife if I feel like I am contributing to the marriage."

"You're contributing a baby," he reminded me.

"I'm giving birth to _our _baby. That means you'll be contributing to the hands on part of raising him or her. You are _not_ going to be like Anthony. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, now, eat your scampi."

11


	33. Chapter 33

**I know the chapter was a long time coming, but there are things that have been invading my writing obsession. Top of the list is the eminent release of For the Love of Brynn: Book 2 – The Moment of Truth. Connie, I really wanted to post this last night as promised but FanFic wasn't cooperating. I couldn't sign in. But here you go. I thank all of you for your patience and dedication. I hope it was worth the wait.**

MURPHY'S LAW

So, Thanksgiving finally came. The plan was to eat at Joe's mother's at two o'clock with the rest of the Morelli clan. She was cooking a good old fashioned Italian Thanksgiving that included lasagna as well as the traditional turkey and ham.

From there, we were headed to my parents for another turkey dinner with sausage stuffing and every vegetable imaginable including butternut squash and candied yams. Her dinner was being served at five sharp.

After that, Joe was to be whisked away by his brother, Anthony and his cousin, Mooch for a bachelor party. From what I had been told, half the burg was going to be there and the majority of them would be cops. I knew it was going to be crazy. I just hoped Joe would keep his pecker in his pants. I had heard about other bachelor parties that were held at the Pussy Galore Strip Club. Lula told me that one guy gave in to peer pressure, and he went down on the entertainment right there in the middle of the stage. Needless to say, the wedding was canceled. His fiancée left him standing at the altar. I prayed Joe wouldn't jeopardize our relationship for a cheap whore.

As for me, I was heading for a bridal shower that was being held at Pino's. From what I was told, the owner was giving us a room near the back for our party. I had no idea what to expect. I figured wedding games, cake, and presents.

Joe had really become his old self in the last week. He was once again fixated on my breasts and took to peeking down my shirt in public places. He was such a child sometimes, but it was one of the things I loved about him.

That morning, we took Bob for a nice long walk together and then we stopped at the supermarket and picked up a tray of shrimp to bring to his mother's.

When we got there, the house was full of people, and the couches in the living room were full. The parade was still on the TV, but no one was really paying attention. Anthony's kids were all lying on the floor playing handheld video games. I met Mooch's kids. He had a boy, Michael, age sixteen and a girl, Marissa, age fourteen. They seemed like nice enough kids. They were better disciplined than Anthony's kids. Maybe it was because they were older. I noticed they spent a lot of time on the phone texting. Marissa even came to me and welcomed me to the family. She said she if I never needed a babysitter that she would be happy to do it at a reduced rate since I was family. I wasn't sure if she was just being nice or trying to promote her business.

Everyone who came up to me asked me when I was going to start showing. I felt like I was already huge. They had to let my wedding dress out three quarters of an inch to accommodate my burgeoning baby bump. Thankfully, Joe was incredibly attentive to me.

When Joe's sister arrived with her baby, the attention swayed from me to her and I was happy for it. Joe had such a large family. His father was one of seven kids, so there were aunts and uncles everywhere. I couldn't even remember all of their names. It was like a big mafia family and Angie Morelli was the matriarch.

Dinner was absolutely massive. She had to set up a folding table in the living room for all the kids. Joe and I tried to take very small portions knowing we would be doing this again in just a few short hours with my family.

Although there were far less people at my mother's house, Val's girls made it mayhem as usual. Joe and I swore we would not let our kids be like that.

After dinner, Joe and I both took a short nap. We knew we'd be up late tonight and up early for the wedding. As we nestled comfortably in each others arms on my parents' bed, I thought to myself that I must have been crazy to agree to the pre-wedding parties tonight. We set the alarm for seven. I changed into something more suitable for a party and freshened up my makeup before descending the stairs.

"Come on, let's go! We were supposed to be there at eight!" Val squawked.

Joe was lounging in the living room watching TV with my dad. He was waiting for Mooch to pick him up.

I walked up to him and pulled on his arm. "Aren't you going to kiss me good-bye?"

"I don't know if I should. Isn't there a thing about the night before the wedding? Like I'm not supposed to touch you?" he joked.

"Yeah, well, you had better not touch anyone else either, if you know what's good for you."

Joe stood up and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Believe me; I know what's good for me. So, you don't want me to flirt with the entertainment? The guys will be severely disappointed."

"I've heard about those parties. Flirting is one thing. Touching, kissing, groping, or anything else is unacceptable. You keep your clothes on!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, you, too."

"It's a bridal shower!"

"Have a good time. I'll see you at home tonight?"

"I'll wait up for you."

Val and I arrived at Pino's a little after eight o'clock. The parking lot was packed. We had to park down the block.

"I've never seen so many cars," I commented.

"See? I told you we'd be late!" We parked, and Val rushed me out of the car and down the street. When got to the front door, Lula was waiting outside. "It's about time you got here! We've been waiting for almost an hour!"

"Sorry! It _is _Thanksgiving you know!"

Lula grabbed my hand and dragged me into the building. "She's here!" Lula cried out.

Everyone let out a cheer. We didn't have a room near the back; my party was the whole restaurant! _Oh boy!_

"What do you want to drink?" Lula asked.

"Um, diet coke?"

At that moment I was accosted by my best friend, Mary Lou. "You have to come and dance with me! They're playing the most awesome songs!"

Before I knew it, I was on the dance floor dancing my heart out with Mary Lou and a host of other party goers. The Deejay was having a blast. After a few dances I was parched. I walked over to where I had left Lula. "Is this my drink?" I asked.

Lula nodded, picked up the glass, and handed it to me. I took a big gulp expecting it to be soda, but it wasn't. The sharp taste of rum slid down my throat. It was too late to spit it out.

"Are you insane?"

"What? Rum and diet coke! That's what you wanted, right?" Lula said in her defense.

"I'm pregnant! I just wanted a diet coke!"

Lula turned bright red, which was not easy considering her coloring. "I'm so sorry! I completely forgot!" She started slapping the bar. "Bartender! We need a diet coke here, right now!"

"Does our little bride need some special attention?" I looked up to see Diesel standing on the other side of the bar.

"Diesel! What are you doing here?"

"I popped into your apartment to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and to tell you that I would be able to come to your wedding. I forgot that your friend, Mateo was subletting the apartment. He said that your friend, Lula was looking for a hot bartender for your bridal shower."

"So, now you're a hot bartender?"

"Honey, I can be whatever you want me to be."

"Well, hot bartender, I'd like a soda if it's not too much trouble."

"You don't want to suck a Jell-O shot off of my abdomen?" he joked.

"Maybe later."

All of a sudden I heard another familiar voice. It was Sallie Sweet. I spun around, and he was standing at the Deejay booth dressed in a silver sequined gown. He was fully made up. "Hello, everyone. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Salvatore Sweet, but you can call me Sally. I'm going to be your emcee for the night. First thing I'd like to do is bring up the lovely bride. Come on up here, Stephanie!"

I placed my drink on the bar and joined Sally in the middle of the floor. I gave him a heartfelt hug.

"You look beautiful as always."

"Thank you."

"But you look a little tired. Maybe you need to sit down." He looked toward the bar. "Can someone please bring me a chair?"

"Sally, I'm fine! I don't need a chair!" I protested.

Diesel bolted across the floor with a chair in hand. "Here you go, sweetheart. Sit your pretty little tuschy right here."

"Diesel!"

"You know what? I'm feeling a little tired myself." He straddled me and sat in my lap.

"Diesel, what are you doing?"

"Ah, I'm feeling really hot right now…I mean _really _hot!"

All of a sudden the music started playing. The song was I'm Sexy and I Know It, and at that moment, Diesel lifted his butt off my lap, but he didn't back away. Instead, he started shaking his ass at the audience. As he pulled his T-shirt over his head exposing his washboard abs, the ladies started to scream.

"Oh my God! You are not going to do this!" I cried out in horror.

"Sure, I am, princess. It's not like you haven't seen any of it before," he said referring to the fact that he had shared my bed. Diesel slept in the raw and unfortunately, I had seen more than I should have. Diesel's 'morning wood' was just one more thing that made him 'special.' "Enjoy the show," he said. He smiled big and those damned dimples came out. My doodah contracted in anticipation. He leaned forward and jutted his ass out at the audience. While they admired his spectacular derriere, Diesel leaned in and nuzzled my neck.

"You had better play the game or they'll think you're a prude."

He shot me a broad smile and those dimples returned. I about died. He took my hands and placed them on his chest and then raised his arms over his head and continued to gyrate. The crowd was screaming, "Take his pants off! Take his pants off!"

I ran my hands down his torso over his magnificent abs and unbuttoned the top of his pants.

"Now you're playing the game," he quipped.

"I am so going to kill you for this."

"Would you rather it was a stranger?"

I unzipped his pants and pulled them down off of his hips. I clapped my hand over my eyes. _Oh boy. _Thankfully, Diesel backed away and turned toward his admirers. He wiggled out of his jeans. He was wearing bikini underwear, and he bent over very deliberately with his ass in my face as he pulled the jeans off of his feet.

"Touch it!" Mary Lou yelled out.

"Touch it! Touch it!" The rest of the crowd chanted. I gathered all of my courage, and I closed my eyes. I reached out and firmly planted my hands on Diesel's buttocks.

"Oh, yeah!" Diesel bellowed.

He moved away from me and played to the audience. He pulled Lula into the center of the circle that had formed around us. They began to dance. Lula shimmied her shoulders and her boobs flew around the room like two helium filled balloons. She was wearing a mauve spandex tube top and I thought for sure it as going to fall off of her. Just when it seemed that her nipple would pop out, she pulled the tube top up. He released Lula and moved on to Mary Lou, who was practically begging him to dance with her. She did the bump with him and to my utter surprise; she bent over in from of him and shook her ass like nobody's business. He grabbed her hips and simulated humping her from behind.

_Oh boy!_

The women were screaming as Diesel's package bounced around in his spandex skivvies. He danced with several more party goes before returning his attention to me. He pointed at me and curled his finger beckoning me toward him.

I shook my head. "Oh, no!"

"Come on, princess. Pretty soon, you'll be a wife and mom and you won't even remember how to cut loose. I never thought you were boring."

"I'm not boring!"

"I bet if I was Ranger, you'd be all over me."

I wasn't about to be labeled boring, and Diesel was just as hot a Ranger and Joe. I got to my feet and pulled my sweater over my head. I was standing in my bra and my jeans.

Suddenly the music changed and Party Rock began to play. I started to shake my booty the way I would have in the bedroom to arouse Joe.

"That's sick!" Diesel crowed. He was all smiles. Diesel grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into his crotch and began to dirty dance. I could feel his package up against me as we danced. He leaned to my ear. "You're giving me a hard-on, princess."

I could feel the burn in my face as I blushed.

"Too bad you're getting married tomorrow."

I looked down and the tip of his penis was peeking out of his underwear. _Shit!_ I pulled him tight to me, so the others wouldn't see it.

"Growl! Are you going to give me a tumble?"

I leaned to him. "You dick is sticking out of the top of your underwear!"

"Yeah, that's a problem I have."

I immediately thought about Kaiser. It was a problem for him, too.

"I'm going to dance you toward the kitchen. Give them a show, okay?" He grabbed my leg and lifted it so it was draped around his body. I could feel the fullness of his hard-on against me. It was like a frickin' cucumber.

"Jesus, Diesel!"

"Hey, you're the one who got me in this state with those perfect boobs and that purple lace bra."

The audience was clapping behind us as we disappeared through the doors to the kitchen. He backed me up against a counter and buried his head in my neck. He was breathing hard. My thoughts immediately went to Joe. I had threatened him to keep his pants on, and here I was half naked in the kitchen with an excited Diesel!

"Diesel, please," I said in a small voice.

"You want to do it here in front of the staff?"

"No, you idiot! I want you to get off me!"

He laughed. "I knew that. I was playing with you."

"I'm going to get your clothes. You get yourself under control."

He stared into my eyes. "Sweetheart, I can show you some control."

"Tempting, but no."

He released me, and I fled the room. The truth was all that hard muscle and dimples was getting to me.

I entered the party room, and the crowd cheered. I waved to them and rushed to get to my sweater. I slid it over my head and grabbed Diesel's clothes. He had already 'composed' himself. He dressed quickly and then grabbed my hand. We entered the room together, and Diesel presented me like a prom queen. He took the microphone from the Deejay. "Let's give it up for the future Mrs. Morelli!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Now let's get the lady to open some presents! Everyone pull up a chair and gather round."

I spent the next hour opening present after present. Diesel was there to hand me the gifts one by one and take them away once I opened them. Connie sat close and wrote down everything I got along with the name of the giver. When I finally came to the end, they wheeled out the cake and it was cut. By now Diesel had taken his place behind the bar and was doling out drinks for the ladies. The partygoers went back to dancing, and by eleven o'clock, most of the crowd had gone home. I was exhausted and eager to get home to Joe.

Diesel approached me. "Would you like me to give you a ride home?"

"I came with Val."

"At least let me help you get all your gifts in the car," he offered. There was a ton of gifts. After Diesel helped us shove them into every nook and cranny, he turned to me.

"Come here, princess." He gave me a heartfelt hug.

"Thank you for coming to my party and entertaining the ladies. You were really good."

"I did a few parties during my college days to make extra money. I made a bunch tonight and I'm giving it all to you and Morelli."

"Diesel! You don't have to do that!"

"I know. You get a good night's sleep. You need to look your best tomorrow." He kissed me on the cheek and released me. I turned to get in the van. "Hey!" he called.

"What?"

"You were sexy tonight."

I smiled at him.

We arrived at the house, and my heart sank when I saw the house was completely dark. Joe wasn't home. Val suggested that we leave the majority of the gifts in her van, and Joe and I could get them later. I didn't want to leave anything. I wanted him to see all the gifts we had gotten. By the time Val pulled out of the driveway, it was after midnight and I was feeling very ancy. I curled up on the couch to wait for him. I'm not sure when I fell asleep.

I woke up in the early morning hours in a panic. _Didn't he come home?_ I grabbed my phone off the coffee table and dialed his number. I heard the phone ringing upstairs. As soon as I realized that he must be home, I tore ass up the stairs. I flipped on the light in the bedroom, and Joe was laying face down fully clothed right smack in the middle of the bed.

"Joe?"

He didn't move. I climbed carefully onto the bed. "Joseph?" I pulled on him and he didn't budge. I leaned close and then I smelled the alcohol. He smelled like a brewery. _Damn it! _I shoved him in an effort to get him to move over. He wouldn't move. Finally I screamed out his name in frustration. "JOSEPH!"

"What?" he mumbled.

"Move over!"

He crawled to his side of the bed and promptly passed out. I was pissed. I wanted to smack him, but he probably wouldn't have felt it anyway. I rolled with my back to him and seethed for a while until I finally drifted off.

I woke again at eight o'clock. Val was picking me up at nine to go to breakfast and then we were heading to the salon to get our hair done.

I left Joe laying in the bed in his coma. I jumped in the shower and got myself ready. I wanted to talk to him before I left, so I ripped the pillow out from under his head.

"Hey!" he groaned.

"Did you have fun last night?"

"What?"

"You didn't even wake me last night. What were you trying to hide?"

"I wasn't trying to hide anything. I don't even remember coming home!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"I don't remember coming in the house."

"Give me your phone."

"What?"

I gritted my teeth. "Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"I want to make sure you don't have any pictures and you didn't get any phone numbers."

"There were strippers, but I didn't touch any of them, I swear!"

"How do you know? You don't even remember coming home!"

"I think I would remember if I pawed some whore."

I folded my arms tightly across my chest. "The phone?"

"Fine." He reached into his pocket and produced his phone.

I flipped to his contacts and checked through them. He had nearly a hundred contacts. I poured through them while he crawled out of the bed and went to the bathroom. I heard the water in the shower. I checked his pictures. The last pictures he had were of the wedding bouquets we had chosen for the wedding. He was clean as far as I could tell. I dialed Anthony. It rang several times before Angelina picked up.

"Angelina, I need to speak to Anthony."

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Stephanie."

"He's still asleep."

"Well, wake him up. I need to talk to him," I said with authority.

"Oh shit. Hold on."

Several minutes passed. The water in the shower ceased, so I knew Joe would be out soon. I needed answers before he came out. Finally, Anthony came to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Anthony, what the hell happened last night?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I want to know what Joe did."

"He got shitfaced."

"Why? Why would he get shitfaced the night before his wedding?"

"Calm down."

"I'm not going to calm down. He doesn't remember anything. He doesn't remember if he slept with someone last night."

Joe entered the room. He pulled the phone out of my hand. "Who is this?" he asked. "Anthony, go back to bed. I'll see you later." He disconnected and tossed the phone on the bed.

"Did you seriously think I would jeopardize our relationship by touching a woman who meant nothing to me?"

"You were drunk!"

"I was drunk because we played a game. It was called quarters."

"I've seen you play quarters. You're really good."

"Not the same game. In this game the girl lays on her back. She has a quarter in her mouth and one between her breasts, one on her belly button and one between her thighs. You can't use your hands. If you retrieve all the quarters, you can make four people drink a shot. If you don't, you drink." He drew in a deep breath and shot me a look. "The reason I got so trashed was because when it was my turn, I passed on retrieving the quarters and just drank. The guys all called me pussy whipped. So, every guy that got his four quarters made me drink."

"So you didn't do anything you shouldn't have?"

"Sweetheart, I love you. I was not about to do what Jason Connor did and ruin my wedding day." He grabbed a pair of boxers and jeans out of the drawer and slid them on. When he straightened up, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He smelled like whiskey and toothpaste.

"So, how did the shower go? Any excitement?"

I thought about Diesel and bit my lower lip.

Joe creased his eyebrows and looked into my eyes which obviously conveyed the guilt I was feeling.

"What?"

"Um, there was entertainment at my party, too," I said in a tiny voice.

"And?"

"And the stripper was Diesel."

Joe backed up. "Are you kidding me? That lumberjack was on you?"

"He was wearing briefs. That's more than he wears to bed!" I blurted out. I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it. _Insert foot in mouth._

"How the hell do you know what he wears to bed? Have you slept with him?" He grabbed my arms to keep me from turning away as he asked the question.

"Not in the way you're thinking," I said in my defense.

"Jesus Christ, Stephanie. You're telling me you've seen this guy naked?"

"Not on purpose!"

He looked wounded. He released the grip on my arms, grabbed a shirt and socks from the drawer, and walked toward the bedroom door. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk! I need to clear my head!"

"Joe!" I cried out.

He turned at the door. "Don't even open your mouth. Every time you do, it just gets worse."

"Are you still going to marry me?" I yelled from the top of the stairs as he descended them while pulled his shirt over his head. He didn't answer. I heard the front door open and then a verbal exchange between Joe and someone else, although I couldn't make out what he was saying. The door slammed shut, and I heard Val's voice.

"Stephanie, are you up there?"

I ran back into the bedroom to grab my phone in case Joe decided to call me. "I'm coming!" I called down to her. I reached the bottom of the stairs, and Val intercepted me.

"What's going on with Joe?"

"Why? What did he say?" I didn't want to give away the exact reason for his anger if I didn't have to.

"He said, 'this marriage thing is becoming one big headache,'"

I tried to cover. "Yeah, he was frisky this morning, and I told him I didn't have time."

"Well, it's not like he's not going to get it tonight, right?" she pointed out.

"True."

"Albert is grateful if he gets it once a week."

I just stared at her with my eyes wide. "Once a week, really?"

"What? Too much?"

There were plenty of times in my life where I went without, sometimes for a month or more, but once Joe and I hooked up, we did it like bunnies. Even with all the splits we had over the years, it was sexual tension that eventually brought us back together. I didn't want Val to think she was inadequate or worse, that I was some sort of sex fiend.

"No, no—once a week is—good, I guess."

"How often do you and Joe have sex?"

"Um, usually twice." _A night._

"Oh, well, once you have that baby, you won't have time for sex."

"I'll make the time. I wouldn't want to disappoint Joe."

"Hey, once you're married. It all works itself out. He'll disappoint you when he forgets to take out the garbage filled with dirty diapers, and you'll disappoint him when you roll over and pass out on him. If it's any consolation, you'll still love each other."

_Good God! Please, Lord, don't let my marriage be like Val's._

"I have to let Bob out before we go." I let Bob out the back door and he quickly did his business. He was trotting back to the door when a squirrel on the other side of the yard caught his eye and he took off after it. The squirrel scurried up a tree, and Bob stood there barking at it.

"Come on, Bob!" He barreled into the house, tail wagging. I bent down and gave him a heartfelt hug. "The next time I see you, we will officially be a family." I hugged him again. "I love you, Bob." I kissed his snout, and he trotted off to the kitchen.

We all met at Denny's for a hearty breakfast…me, Val, Lula, Connie, Mary Lou, and my mother. We were seated pretty quickly. The place was relatively empty because it was Black Friday, and everyone was out trying to snap up the early bargains. My mind was on Joe, but I tried not to show it. I kept checking my phone to see if I had any missed calls.

Mary Lou noticed my compulsiveness with the phone. "Girl, who are you expecting to call?"

"I was hoping Joe might call."

"You just left him, besides he's probably down at the reception hall and the church making sure all the preparations are in order."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Luckily, Val didn't say anything about Joe leaving in a huff. We were halfway through the meal when I saw none other than Tank and a woman I didn't recognize heading for the door.

"I'll be right back," I announced as I slid out of the circular booth. I was glad I had chosen the end seat or I wouldn't have caught him before he hit the parking lot. "Tank!" I called.

Tank spun around just as he got to the front door. A smile crossed his face. "Stephanie! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my wedding party. We're having breakfast before the madness begins. You're still coming to the wedding, right?"

He smiled brightly. "Of course. I'm even bringing my girlfriend."

My eyes blew up like saucers.

"A girlfriend? Is that who this lovely lady is?"

The woman who was with him looked to be a few years older than him. She had a little bit of chunk to her, but she carried it well. She looked like she was of Latin decent or maybe Indian. She had pretty almond shaped eyes.

"Absolutely." He was beaming "Stephanie, I'd like you to meet Sachi. Sachi, this is the bride from the wedding we are going to be attending later on today."

"Very nice to meet you," I said as I extended my hand to her.

"Stephanie, I look forward to your wedding. Pierre has told me so much about you."

I shot Tank a look.

He shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? You're an interesting subject."

I sighed. "Have you heard from Ranger?"

"He's my boss. I hear from him every day."

"You know what I mean."

"He said yesterday that he was trying to wrap up some business, but there have been some unforeseen issues making it difficult to complete. He said he wanted to make it to the wedding but…"

My heart sank. "I understand."

"Aw, Stephanie. He _did_ tell me that there was a card in his apartment that I should give to you if he doesn't make it."

"If he left a card, then he has no intentions on being there," I lamented.

Sachi reached out and touched my arm. "Don't be sad. Pierre tells me that you are marrying a wonderful guy."

I thought about Joe. I wondered where he was. I hoped he wouldn't bale on me. "He's a great guy," I answered, as I forced a weak smile.

Tank seemed to be focused on something behind me. "I'll let you get back to the ladies. I see Lula is looking for you."

"Oh, my God! Lula is going to be so jealous."

Before Tank and Sachi could take their leave, Lula came marching up like a raging pink bull. She stopped directly in front of us, hands on hips.

"Tank," she said in a cool tone.

"Lula," Tank replied.

"You gonna introduce me to your friend?"

"Lula, this is Sachi."

"She your aunt?"

"Lula!" I interrupted. "She's his girlfriend."

"Huh. He asked me to marry him."

Sachi who was smaller than Lula in every way didn't back down.

"Well, maybe I'm not looking for marriage and even if I was, I'd wait for him to come to that decision on his own, not pressure him into it."

Lula's full lips pulled into a tight line. I thought she was going to haul off and punch Sachi out. "I didn't force him into anything and I'm the one who broke it off."

I decided the best route to keep the peace was to side with Lula even though Sachi was one hundred percent correct. "That's right, Lula. You broke it off because you decided he wasn't the man you were looking for."

"Damn, right!"

"So I don't think we should judge his new girlfriend. You didn't like it when I had opinions about Marcus."

"You was right about Marcus. He was just out for my skills."

I tried to hold in my smile. I could see Tank was fighting it, too.

"I'll see you ladies at the wedding," Tank said in an effort to get out the door.

"Yes, I'll see you both!" I said cheerfully. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Sachi."

"The pleasure is all mine."

Tank and Sachi turned to go. I wrapped my arm around Lula's shoulder and guided her back to my table. "You know, there's no fighting allowed on my wedding day."

"Huh. It wouldn't have been a fight. It would have been a knockout," she said with confidence.

The rest of the breakfast was peaceful. After breakfast, we went to Margie's Salon where we all had appointments to get nails, toes, and hair done. We would be spending literally half the day there. As I sat in the chair getting my feet massaged, I decided to call Joe. It rang and rand and then went to voice mail. I decided not to leave a message. I figured if he saw that I called, he might call me back. It took us over four hours to get hair, nails, and feet beautified. From the salon, we all went to my mother's house to do make-up and dress. All of the gowns were in my room. My sister brought me my phone as I sat on the ottoman in the living room.

"It's Anthony," she announced.

I took the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Have you heard from Joe?"

"No, why?"

"Well, I came over to the house to pick him up, and he's not here."

My heart started to palpitate in my chest. "He's not?"

"No. I talked to him around noon and I told him I'd be here at four to pick him up and bring him to the church."

"What did he say?"

"He said okay. Did something happen between you two?"

I started to panic. "This morning he was upset when he heard that Diesel was the stripper for my party."

"Diesel? Who's Diesel?"

"A personal friend."

"A personal friend?" he asked.

"Yes. Someone who I've seen in the nude as he slept in my bed."

"You slept with this guy?"

"I've slept with him, but we have never been intimate. I wore pajamas to bed."

"Shit, no wonder he's freaking out, Any idea where he'd go?"

"At this time of day? No clue."

"Okay, I'll check a few places. Keep calling him."

"Do you think he's going to bail on me?" I squeaked.

"Stephanie, you should know Joe by now. He gets pissed and then he goes somewhere to cool off. Don't worry. I'll find him. You keep calling him, okay?"

"Okay," I croaked. I was holding back the tears.

Val was watching me and saw my face as it contorted into sadness when I disconnected the phone. "Oh, no! What's wrong?"

"Joe's missing."

"What do you mean Joe's missing?"

"I haven't heard from him since he stormed out this morning, and Anthony went to pick him up at the house…" This was where I broke down. "…and he's not there!"

"Oh, Steph! Don't cry! You'll mess up your make-up!"

"What if he doesn't show up?"

"Stephanie, he'll show. We're talking about Joe. He loves you to death. Now, dry your eyes. We don't want to worry mom."

"Okay, you're right, but would you do me a favor and call him—please?"

"Sure, give me your phone."

"No, I want you to do it from your phone."

"Fine. I'll be right back."

Valerie left the room, and I sat on the ottoman rocking back and forth and wringing my hands. My mother entered the room. "Stephanie, what's wrong?"

I had to lie. "I'm just nervous. You remember how my last marriage turned out."

"Honey, it's different this time. You're older and more mature and lord knows Joseph is ready for this."

My eyes pooled with tears. "You think so?"

"Oh my goodness, honey. He's totally devoted to you." My mother grabbed me by the hand and pulled me off the ottoman. "Come on, let's go upstairs and get you in your dress." I caught Val out of the corner of my eye as I was pulled towards the stairs. I turned toward her in hopes of good news. She just shook her head. My heart sank.

When we got to the bedroom, I crumbled onto the bed. My mother pulled the dress from its protective garment bag. "Come on!" she goaded.

I rose from the bed, and she helped me squeeze into it. She backed up to look at me. She was beaming. "You look…" She was at a loss for words.

"Fat?"

"No! You can't even tell you're pregnant. Your breasts are—awesome!"

She made me smile. "Mom, you said awesome."

"I did, didn't I?"

Mom pushed me out of the bedroom. "Go show the others."

"What about my shoes?"

"I don't need you falling down the stairs. You can put then on when you get to the living room."

I descended the stairs and all eyes were on me.

Everyone commented on how beautiful I looked.

"The limo's here!" Connie called.

"Limo! What limo? I didn't order a limo."

"Well there's one out there."

"Black or white?"

"It's white."

"Oh." For a fleeting moment, I thought maybe it was Ranger's. We piled into the limo and we were whisked off to the church. I tried not to show it, but I was in a panic. My stomach was in knots. I was praying that Joe would be there waiting. The limo pulled around to the back of the church. Mooch was outside on the phone pacing back and forth. As I got out of the limo, Mooch lowered the phone away from his ear.

"Is he here?"

"No. Anthony can't find him."

Immediately, the tears burst onto my cheeks. I was shivering. It was cold outside, but my shivering was from fear—fear that Joe had finally given up on me and gotten the ultimate revenge. Mooch wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me into the building.

"Something's wrong," he said, worry in his voice. "I know he wouldn't stand you up."

I knew that Mooch was trying to help, but this new revelation had not occurred to me. The thought that he might be incapable of calling or getting here only made things worse. I was falling apart. I sat in the little room in tears for what seemed to me like an eternity. The wedding was set to begin in just ten minutes and no one knew where my beloved Joe was.

All of a sudden Anthony came running in. He was out of breath.

"Did you find him?" Connie asked.

"Yes."

"Where?" I croaked.

Anthony pulled out his phone and punched in some numbers.

"Yes, hello, I need to speak to Joseph Morelli. He's expecting my call."

He shoved the phone at me.

"Joe?" I squeaked.

"Stephanie," his voice broke as he spoke.

"Joe, where are you?"

"It's Bob."

"Bob?"

"Stephanie, he was hit by a car, and it's all my fault!"

13


	34. Chapter 34

I'm not sure why, but I tried 6 ways to Sunday to get the document to upload correctly and every time the preamble comes out scrambled. So, I'm reposting. oOnly the preamble has changed. FYI, This is not the end of the story. There is much more to come…

"**If you hold back on your emotions—if you don't allow yourself ****through them-you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your heard even, you experience them fully and completely." ****to go all the way through them, you can never get to being detached: you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain; you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in all the way, over your head even;**** you allow yourself to experience them fully and completely. ~ Mitch **

**I fought for you from the very beginning. I never backed down…even when the pressure was on. The older I get, the more I understand what love is all about. I've learned that when I love another, it IS forever. I don't like letting go. I believe in the circle of love. I let you into my circle, and I won't let you out. Don't hate me for it. Appreciate it the way that I appreciate you. I lost touch with someone I loved for 20 years before I found him again. It won't happen again…not with him…and not with you.**

**through them-you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your heard even, you experience them fully and completely." **** through them-you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your heard even, you experience them fully and completely." ****  
><strong>**― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays wit the way that I**

I ABSOLUTELY DO

Joe started to cry. "Stephanie, it was all my fault. I let him out front and there was a squirrel in the yard. He chased it into the street."

I collapsed to my knees. "Oh my god! Is he…?"

"No, the driver saw the squirrel and tried to stop, but Bob ran into the car. I picked him up and rushed him to the emergency clinic."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I couldn't even think straight. I left my phone in the house."

"Is he going to be all right?"

"They said his front leg is broken, and he may have a concussion. They are going to keep him overnight. Right now he's sedated. I'm getting ready to go home and change. Will you wait for me?"

"Of course I'll wait for you! When can I see Bob?"

"We can come back tonight and check on him after the reception."

"I love you, Joe. I thought you stood me up."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry I ruined your wedding day."

"It's our wedding day, and I just want to marry you already. So get your butt over here.—And kiss Bob for me and tell him I love him."

"You're not mad at me?"

"How can I be mad at you? Bob just did what was natural for him. You're sure he's going to be all right?"

"They said they are going to put a cast on him and they didn't see any other injuries on the x-ray. They said if there are any new developments, they would call me."

"Okay."

"Okay, I'll be there soon." He disconnected, and I broke down and cried.

"Stephanie? What's going on?" Val asked. My entire wedding party was standing in front of me.

I tried my best to explain through my tears. "Bob got hit by a car!" I sniveled. "Joe rushed him to the vet."

"Oh dear God!" My mother blurted out as she made the sign of the cross. Mary Lou handed me a box of tissues.

"He forgot to grab his phone. That's why he didn't return my calls."

"What about Bob?' My mother asked. "Is he all right?"

"Joe said he broke his front leg, and they want to keep him overnight for observation."

"What about the wedding? Is he coming?"

"Joe's leaving the vet's now. He still has to go home and change. He probably won't be here for at least a half hour."

Anthony stepped forward. "I'll go inform the guests that there was an emergency, and Joe is running late."

Mary Lou helped me up and hugged me. "See, everything is fine," she reassured me.

Lula was busy reapplying my make-up when there was a knock at the door. Connie got up to answer it.

"Well, well, look who blew into town for the wedding," she announced.

"May I come in?"

I knew that voice anywhere. "Let him in!" I cried out.

I looked up, and my eyes rested on Ranger. He was stunning in a black Armani suit. He took a few steps inside and stopped. He was staring at me.

"Wow," he said just above a whisper.

I shot him a smile. "I'm so glad you made it."

"You look…"

"Fat, I know."

"No. I was thinking stunning."

I reached my hand to him. "Would you like to take a little walk?"

Lula interrupted. "Girl, you can't go out there. Everyone will see you!"

I shot her a look. "I want to talk to him—in private."

"Let's all go for a walk," my mother suggested.

"That's stupid," I argued. "I'll be right back. I just need to clear my head." I still had Ranger's hand, and I dragged him to the door.

"Yeah, being with him's gonna clear her head," Connie quipped.

Ranger and I snuck out the back way and stood in the little courtyard between the church and the abbey. He turned to me and took both of my hands in his.

"Babe, I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."

"It's Bob. He was hit by a car."

"The dog?"

"Yeah, Joe has been at the vet's all afternoon, and I couldn't reach him. I panicked because we had an argument this morning—I don't even remember what it was about now." I thought for a moment. "Diesel. It was about Diesel and the fact that I've seen him naked and…"

Ranger let go of my hands. "You've seen Diesel naked?"

"Well, he slept in my bed just like I slept in your bed. You didn't have any problem sliding into bed in your birthday suit when I was there."

"That's because I wanted you."

"I guess you're not the only one who wanted me."

"Well, eventually I got you. Did Diesel?"

I smiled at him. "Why, Carlos, I'm about to marry Joe and you're pulling the jealousy card?"

"I'm not jealous," he said emphatically.

"I think you are."

"Forget it. It's none of my business."

"I've never slept with Diesel. It's always been you and Morelli."

He looked uncomfortable. "You're brother-in-law is watching us."

"That's because Morellis protect their own."

"I should get you back. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Me and Joe are fine. I'm worried about Bob. I want to be here, but I want to be with him, too. Bob is like our kid."

"What about your honeymoon?"

"Oh my God! We're leaving in the morning! How can I go away when Bob is in the hospital?" I started to wring my hands.

"I'm sure you'll find someone who will be willing to watch him."

"Would you?"

"Me? I'm not so good with animals."

"What are you talking about? Tank's cat loves you!"

"That cat was a female. Bob is a male. Why don't you ask Diesel? Didn't he once have a meaningful relationship with a monkey?"

"That monkey was special."

Ranger creased his eyebrows. "I thought Bob was special."

"It's different. The monkey was special the way that Diesel is special."

"Diesel is no more special than I am," he replied indignantly.

"And who ever said that the mighty Ranger wasn't special?"

Suddenly, Lula appeared in the doorway. "Morelli is here!" she yelled.

"Thank God!" I turned and rushed away from Ranger without giving him another thought.

I got to the door as Joe stepped out. His eyes locked with Ranger's. Ranger excused himself and stepped around us. Joe pulled me close to him as Ranger passed.

"Did he come to give you a last kiss before I married you?"

"No, when Anthony told everyone that the delay was due to an emergency, Ranger came to see if I was all right."

"How gallant of him."

"Joe, please! We are supposed to get married!"

He stared into my eyes. "Right." He backed up a step and checked me out in my gown. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"You weren't supposed to see me. It's bad luck."

"After everything that's happened today, do you think that outside of an invasion from extraterrestrials; that I would let anyone or anything deter me from marrying you?"

I grabbed his face and kissed him hard. "Let's do it."

Joe ran his hand down the front of my cleavage to the point where the dress came together in a 'V'. My eyes met his. "Later," I said in a sweet voice.

"I'll see you in a few minutes." He kissed me quickly and left.

Val took charge. "Okay, everybody line up."

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Mom went to get him. He was in the church talking with the guests."

Dad was probably talking to his poker buddies planning their next game. I heard the music change, so I knew Joe must be in his place at the altar.

Dad entered the room as Val and Anthony led the procession to the entrance foyer of the church. "Here we go!" she chimed, as she and Anthony stepped into the church.

After a half minute, Connie and Mooch followed. Mary Lou and Carl were next in the procession. Lula and Gus Chianni were last. Lula had originally protested being in the anchor spot, but Connie told her it was the most important spot because if anything happened to the bride, she would be closest to me to help.

My father took my arm and tucked it under his. "Are you ready, princess?"

"Third times a charm, right?"

My father turned and creased his eyebrows at me. "What?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Are you going to tell me you married someone after Dickie?"

"Sort of."

He stopped and faced me. "Who?"

I smiled. "Joe and I got married a month ago. We thought it might help relieve the stress."

He chuckled. "Did it?"

"Well, we still fought, but I think at the end of the day we knew we'd make up because we were married. So, I guess I'd have to say that it did."

The music stopped.

"Crap, we better get going."

"I'm proud of you, princess. Joe is a good man."

"Thank you, Daddy."

We stepped in front of the doorway and the music keyed up again. As I walked down the aisle, it seemed like a million flash bulbs went off in my face. I saw only two people during my procession down the aisle. The first was Ranger because he was standing near the back. He caught my eye almost immediately. I was afraid that my 'flee' instinct would kick in knowing the feelings I had for him, but they didn't. I knew I had made the right decision, and I could indeed love Ranger from afar and keep him as a valued and dear friend.

Once I passed Ranger, I looked ahead to the altar. Val and my bridesmaids were standing in a row looking very beautiful in their burgundy dresses. The men were all wearing charcoal grey tuxes and the most handsome of all was my own sweet Joseph.

When I reached the altar, my father kissed my hand and stepped back to where my mother was sitting in the front row.

The priest offered a greeting to both Joe and I and our guests and jumped right into the mass. I was glad that in the last month, Joe and I had attended services on Sunday mornings. Otherwise, I would have felt uncomfortable with giving praise to God under the premise of marriage. I wanted to reach out and hold his hand but, we had been told in the rehearsal that we couldn't take each others hand until the priest told us to do so. Instead I gripped my cascading bouquet tightly. Finally, the service turned to the reason we were all here in the first place. The priest spoke to us directly.

"Joseph and Stephanie, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

We answered in unison. "Yes."

"Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"

Again, we answered together. "I will."

"Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

The last question made me laugh because of the bun in the oven. Joe answered "I will" before I did and looked at me skeptically when I didn't answer on cue. "I will," I chimed in after him.

"Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church." I handed my bouquet to Val and I turned to Joe. He took my right hand in his. I drew in a deep breath.

This is the part that we were told to memorize. I knew that I had it down, but I wasn't so sure about Joe. The priest had said if we felt uncomfortable that he would prompt us, and we could repeat after him. I was thrilled when Joe began to speak on his own.

"I, Joseph, take you, Stephanie, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

I wanted to rush into his arms, but I stood firmly barely able to breathe. We had already done this just a few weeks before, but this was in front of the whole world. I cleared my throat before I spoke.

"I, Stephanie, take you, Joseph, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

The priest acknowledged our consent to be married by declaring, "What God has joined, men must not divide."

The Blessing of Rings followed the declaration of consent. Anthony produced the wedding rings, and they were placed on a pillow. The priest said a blessing over the wedding rings. He carefully picked up my ring and handed it to Joe.

"Please place the ring on Stephanie's ring finger and declare your love to her."

Joe took my hand which was visibly shaking, and he slowly slid the ring onto my finger. "Stephanie, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

The priest removed Joe's ring from the pillow and handed it to me.

"Stephanie, please place this ring onto Joseph's ring finger and declare your love to him."

He handed me the ring, and I looked directly into Joe's eyes. He was smiling. I placed the ring on his finger. It didn't slide on as easily as mine had.

"Joseph, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

The mass continued and when all was finally done, the priest announced us as husband and wife, and Joe was prompted to kiss me. Considering the sanction of the church, we kept the kiss very low key. We left the altar and proceeded outside the church. As soon as we hit the outside, Joe pulled me into his arms and gave me the kiss he had held back inside the church. I lost my breath as I heard the guests filing out of the church clapping. The photographer was originally going to take pictures of the wedding party in between the ceremony and the reception. We decided to scrap the pictures and move on to Grand Affair. We felt that we had made our guests wait long enough. The photographer would just have to improvise. He suggested that we take a few pictures in the lobby of Grand Affair which sported a large fountain. This would allow the guests to enter and get a drink before we were ushered in as Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Morelli.

The hors d'oeuvres were being served as we entered the room. The D.J. announced us, and the party was officially declared under way. He immediately started with the first dance. Joe and I were not dancers—at least not as a couple. He took me in a proper dance hold.

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

He began to lead me around the room. I was shocked at how he was moving.

"Joseph!"

He smiled brightly. "Yes, my love?"

"When did you learn how to dance?"

"A while ago."

"Who taught you?"

"How is that important? The point is I learned because I hoped that one day I'd get to dance with you on our wedding day."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you avoiding the question?"

"Because I love you." He kissed me gently. "And I don't want anything to ruin our wedding day anymore than it already has."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope, let it go. Just enjoy the dance, sweetheart."

And I did. I let it go, for now. We finished our first dance and then mingled among our guests as the DJ played some more mellow music for the guests to dance to. Almost everyone said how much they loved my dress. In some cases it was the male in the couple who complimented my gown and their mates didn't seem too pleased to have their spouse drooling over me. Joseph was perfect. He was the life of the party and he treated me like his queen. The food was exceptional. It couldn't have been a better night.

It was after dinner that Ranger asked me to dance with him. I shot Joe a look before I accepted Ranger's offer. Joe nodded, and then I reached for Ranger's hand. He led me out to the dance floor. It was a slow dance, and he took my in a proper dance hold.

"I guess it's only right that you check in with your husband before you dance with your former lover."

"Carlos, wouldn't you expect the same thing if I had married you?"

"But you didn't marry me, so it's a moot point."

"True, then again, you never asked me to marry you."

Ranger slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close. We were dancing cheek to cheek, and Ranger whispered in my ear. "He's watching us like a hawk right now."

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered back.

"Maybe I'm just a little pissed off."

"Well you shouldn't be. You had years to make your move. You always kept me right where you wanted me."

"But you're not there now."

"I finally wised up."

He backed up, so he could look at me. "Tell me something."

"Okay, my name is Stephanie Morelli, and as of a few hours ago, I am officially off limits."

"If I had asked you to marry me a year ago, would you have said yes?"

"I don't know. I've loved Joe since I was sixteen years old. If you had asked me to marry you, I might have let him know of your offer and pushed him to ask me then. I just don't know."

He forced a smile. He released me and reached into his pocket. "This is a little something to get you started. I wish you well. I'll be leaving again in a week to stay in Miami for a while. If you need me, you know how to find me." He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "Try to stay out of trouble. I love you." He walked toward the door and nodded at Joe on the way out. I was still standing at the edge of the dance floor watching him.

Joe immediately came to me. "You all right, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I wasn't really, but I kept myself in my happy Joe place. "Dance with me?"

"Of course."

I knew as long as I had Joe's strong arms around me, I'd be okay. It's when I would be alone; those are the moments I feared.

After Joe and danced, the DJ took control and announced all the assorted dances between father and daughter followed by mother and son. I was brought to tears at seeing Joe's mother cry as she danced with her son. I only hoped that I could live up to the Morelli standards of what a wife should be.

Afterwards I danced with so many people; I could even remember who I had danced with after a while. Finally, we were summoned to cut the cake, and the toasts were made. The first was by my father.

"You know, you raise a daughter and you hope she will grow up to be happy and healthy and full of life. There's no denying that my Stephanie is full of life. I thought she had found the man who would make her happy ten years ago, but I was wrong. That man merely made my princess a stronger person, so that when she did meet the right man, she would have the strength and conviction to be his equal. Joseph, I know that on the outside my princess is strong, but on the inside she is fragile. I know she doesn't show it very often, but I see it. I hope you will always remember how much she loves you and treat her with the kindness and respect that she deserves. I love you, princess, and I hope you and Joe will always be happy. Congratulations." His voice cracked at the very end, and I couldn't help but rush to my father and embrace him.

"I love you, Daddy."

Next up was the best man, Anthony.

Anthony, being a Morelli, had that Morelli swagger to him and he looked pretty damn good in his suit. He seemed very comfortable in front of the crowd. He spoke with his drink in his hand. He held his drink up to me as he began his speech.

"Stephanie, you look hotter than hell in that dress," he said with a smile that bordered on leering.

I mouthed the words, "Thank you."

"I remember back in the day when Joe took your virginity. I told him, stay away from that Plum girl. She's gonna be nothing but trouble. He thought I meant that he couldn't talk you out of your pants. You weren't the first young lady he sweet talked out of her clothes. He ignored me, and afterwards he couldn't stop talking about you. I bet you didn't know that."

I shook my head because I really didn't know.

"Fortunately, for you, he was being shipped out to boot camp, or you probably would have gotten knocked up, and then he'd have married you, and by now, you'd be divorced."

"Anthony…" Joe scowled.

"No, it's true. You both had to go through all this—angst—to get to where you are today. Prime example: when you ran him over with the car; oh man! He was pissed! I told him not to let you get under his skin because he was being shipped out. By the time he came back, you went off to college, and then you got married. I remember that day. Joe went to a bar and got shitfaced."

I looked at Joe. He had his head in his hand trying to mask the obvious feelings he had for me even back then.

Anthony continued. "Who the hell could have predicted that you would still be getting under his skin ten years later? I've known my brother my whole life, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he's been waiting his whole life to make you his wife."

"Awww!" I said, as I looked at my handsome husband.

"Look at him. I've never seen him so happy. So do me a favor and keep getting under his skin. Congratulations!"

Joe had his arm draped around my chair. He pulled me toward him and kissed my temple.

The last person to give her speech was my sister. I thought for sure she'd give a long drawn out speech. She stood up and adjusted her dress.

"You guys…" she said, as she stared at us. "All I can say is it's about frickin' time!" She raised her glass and guzzled her glass of champagne. She began to teeter and her balance was precarious at best. Albert rushed and caught her. "Whoopsie!" she trilled.

Someone began to clink their glass, and soon the rest of the guests were clinking along with him. Joe placed his hands on my face and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that leaves you breathless.

"I love you, cupcake."

The D.J. interrupted our intimate moment by announcing that it was time to throw the bouquet and the garter. Like yesterday, Diesel brought up a chair for me to sit in. It was an eerie reminder of his striptease that had gotten me into so much trouble with Joe this morning. I sat in the chair and hiked up my dress. The dress was form fitting, so Joe had to ease it over my knee in order to expose my thigh. That was followed by a round of wolf whistles from the guys. He slipped his hands under my dress. He moved right past the garter to my doodah which was barely covered by the thong I had worn in an effort to reduce panty lines. Joe was grinning as he brushed his fingers along the small patch of cloth that protected me. He could tell just by the look on my face that I was enjoying his touch…probably a little too much.

"Joseph," I said, as I came to my senses. "The garter?"

He couldn't suppress his smile. "Right."

The garter appeared from under the dress, and he slid it slowly to my knee. He leaned forward and gently kissed my exposed thigh before maneuvering the garter past my knee and down to my ankle. Then he lifted my foot and carefully slid it over the spike heel and off of my shoe. He pressed himself to a standing position, took my hand in his, and pulled me to my feet. The dress cascaded to the floor as I stood up.

"All right, I will need all the single ladies in the house to gather on the dance floor," the D.J. announced. There were about ten women who made a bee line for the dance floor including Sachi, Lula, and Grandma Mazur. I should have known this was a recipe for disaster. I noticed that Connie did not join the group.

"Connie! Come on!" I beckoned to her. She ignored me. "Joe, make her join the others," I instructed him.

He creased her eyebrows. "What do you mean, 'make her'?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Okay! Okay!" He walked over to Connie and dragged her to the dance floor. She slipped herself into the middle probably to appease me.

I, in turn, turned my back on the crowd and heaved the 'throw away bouquet' over my head. I turned around quickly to see Lula and Sachi jockeying for position. Lula hip checked Sachi with her big ass and sent Sachi flying into two other girls. This created a big hole for Lula to maneuver in. Just as Lula backed up to catch the bouquet, Grandma Mazur stuck her foot out, and Lula tripped and fell backwards on her ass with a thud. Connie happened to be standing right in the line of the sailing bouquet. It hit her in the chest and rolled to a rest in her hands. She looked absolutely bewildered. I clapped my hands together because I was overjoyed that she was the one to catch it. I had high hopes for her and Mateo.

Grandma looked down at Lula sprawled out on the floor. "Oops!" she said innocently. "Sometimes my feet just don't go where I want them to."

Diesel came up behind Lula and helped her off the floor. Sachi looked like she wanted to kill Lula, but Tank was quick to escort her to the bar.

Now it was Joe's turn to throw the garter. There were more men than there had been women to come forward including Diesel, Tank, Cal, and Hal who were all desirable bachelors in my eyes. I walked up behind Mattie who was standing at the sidelines.

"You should go up there," I urged.

"I'm married," he replied.

"But you came here with Connie, didn't you?"

"Nope, Connie's been ignoring me all night."

"Well, if I wanted to take a certain lady home, I might at least make a show of it."

"I wouldn't feel right about it."

"You are so pig headed."

He took a deep breath and faced me. "Look, I'll talk to her, but I'm not going out there with the single guys."

"Ask her to dance."

"Maybe I don't want to dance."

"So you won't dance with me?"

Mattie looked frustrated. "Fine, I'll dance with you, but it's got to be a slow dance."

"Gee, I feel so special," I said sarcastically.

By now, the guys were standing in a group. You could tell which guys were there to catch the garter and which guys were there because they were forced out there.

Joe turned his back and tossed the garter over his head. It ricocheted off the ceiling toward the tight group of testosterone below. There was a flurry of hands, and the one who came down with it was Cal. He flashed his pearly whites as he twirled the garter on the end of his finger. Connie was smiling, too. She had twelve years on him, but they both looked equally jazzed about the prospect of Cal placing the garter on her leg.

The D.J. prompted Connie to sit in the chair. Her gown was fuller than mine, and she lifted it with ease exposing her bare leg. Once again, the guys began to whistle. Connie tried to look embarrassed, but I could tell she really wasn't. She was thoroughly enjoying the attention from both Cal and the whistlers. Cal carefully pulled the garter over her burgundy pumps and continued to glide it up her lower leg. When he reached the knee, he paused and looked to her for approval.

"Come on, stud. Let's see what you've got," she goaded.

"Really?" he asked.

"Just DO it!" Gus yelled out from the crowd that had closed in around them.

One of his cohorts backed him up. "What are you afraid of? Do it!"

Suddenly Cal lifted her dress and disappeared underneath it. A moment later, Connie's eyes bugged out of her head, and she turned beet red. The guys started cheering him on. A minute later, he reappeared, and he wiped his lips with his forearm.

"Was it good for you?" he asked as he smoothed Connie's dress back into place.

Connie shocked us all when she grabbed him by the head and planted one solidly on his lips. Mattie was standing next to me. As the display unfolded, he spun around and walked away.

"Mattie!" I called after him.

Joe grabbed my wrist. "Leave him."

"But…" I sputtered.

"He needs to make up his own mind. Besides, my mother said we need to make the rounds. She said a lot of people have envelopes they are waiting to give us."

And so we went table to table and graciously thanked our guests for coming, and it seemed that everyone gave us an envelope.

Everything seemed to be going wonderfully, when all of a sudden there was a commotion at the far end of the hall. It was Lula and Sachi. They were in the middle of a cat fight.

"You can't have him. He doesn't want you," Sachi bellowed.

"I can have him anytime I want, you old cow! By the way, your boobs are saggin'. Have you been milked today?"

"I'll rip you from limb to limb!" Sachi replied.

"Tssk! I dare you, bitch!"

Poor Tank was standing there looking bewildered.

"Oh, Jesus!" Joe grumbled, as he took off running in the direction of the two women.

Suddenly, Cal wrapped his arms around Lula from behind, and she let out a scream. "Let go of me, you big, stupid reptile!"

Sachi took the opportunity to charge her. Cal spun around to protect Lula, and Sachi landed a punch square in his back. It was like hitting a brick wall.

"Ow, ow!" she cried, as she pulled back her hand and cradled it in her other hand. "I think you broke my hand!"

"Diesel stepped forward and retrieved Lula from Cal's grasp. "Come on, sweet cheeks. Diesel needs some love."

Lula smiled brightly at him. "You sure you can handle all of this?"

He broke out the dimples. "Let's just say I love a challenge."

In the meantime, Tank was trying to help Sachi. "You shouldn't have tried to punch her. She was subdued," he reasoned with her.

Cal turned his attention to Sachi as well. "I'm real sorry, ma'am."

"Ma'am? How old do you think I am?" she blubbered.

I wanted to laugh, but Joe pulled me into his arms. "Don't do it," he whispered.

"I can't help it. Cal is so cute."

Sachi exploded. "I was about to kick that whore's ass and _you_ interfered! What the hell are you wearing? A breastplate?"

Joe gently pushed me away from him. "Go dance with Cal. I'll take care of this," Joe said firmly.

I walked up to Cal and took him by the hand. "Hey, Calvin, would you like to dance with me?"

"Um, uh, I don't dance."

"Okay, if you don't want to wrap your big strong arms around li'l ol' me." I put on a pouty face. Joe shot me a look.

"Uh, sure," he replied, still unsure of himself.

I stuck my tongue out at Joe. I took Cal by both hands and backed my way to the dance floor.

"What do I do?" he asked coyly.

"You just put your arms around my waist—like this." I pulled his massive arms around me. He looked so nervous. I placed my arms around his neck. I smiled at him as we began to rack back and forth. "So why didn't you bring a date?"

"I don't know. I don't have a girlfriend right now—not since you saved me. A date probably would have just been a pain in the ass. I just wanted to see you. This dancing is—awesome."

I couldn't help it. I blushed.

"Cal, if I was only ten years younger."

"I like older women."

"Oh, really? How old was your last girlfriend?"

"Twenty-two, but she was very mature."

"I'll bet."

"Seriously, if you were younger, would you…?"

"Cal, I'm thirty-five, and I'm pregnant and I'm married—for the second time."

"You were married before?"

"Uh-huh. For about a split second. Didn't you hear Anthony make his speech?"

He blushed. "Uh uh. I was in the bathroom."

We were quiet again, and then I chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Here I thought you'd have something to say about my age, but you are more concerned about how many times I've been married."

He grinned. "Well, you know what they say; third time's a charm."

"Oh, really now! I thought you had the hots for Connie, who, for the record, is older than me."

"Nah, I was just playing with her. She's really not my type."

"And what is your type?"

"You are."

_Okay, like I didn't see that coming. _"Well Connie seems to like you, and I'm sure she thinks you like her after that little stunt you pulled."

"No, she doesn't. She told me she was trying to make Mateo jealous."

I felt my eyes bug out of my head at this news. "Really?"

"If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'."

"I have a great idea." I told Cal of my plan, and he agreed. When the song was over, I rushed to Mattie, who was looking like a sad puppy as he nursed his beer.

"Dance with me!" I gushed.

"I'm drinking my beer," he protested.

"Dance with me!" I reiterated as I took his beer from him and placed it on the table. Mattie couldn't use the excuse that he didn't know how to dance because I went to prom with him, and I knew that he was actually a good dancer. His mother had taught him to slow dance because she said it would help him 'get the ladies.' I never asked him who he dated besides me in high school. I only remember him pursuing me for nearly a year.

Mattie held my hand as I led him to the dance floor. He draped his arm comfortably around my waist and pulled me close to him. "The last time we danced together was at prom," he said with a smile.

"I know."

"And you are more beautiful now than you were then."

"I only wish."

"It's true. Morelli is a lucky guy."

At that moment Cal and Connie danced up next to us. Cal released Connie and turned toward me and Mattie.

"Mind if we trade?" Cal asked.

I looked at Mattie. "Do you mind?"

"You planned this, didn't you?"

I gave him an innocent look. "Who, me?"

Cal wrapped his arms around me from behind in an effort to snatch me away. His hand landed on my bare skin that was exposed due to the low slit that extended well beyond my cleavage. He got a handful and pulled it away quickly, but obviously not before my husband noticed. Cal and I barely began to dance before Joe was on us.

"Excuse me. Do you mind keeping your hands off of my wife's body?"

Cal threw his hands up. "It was an accident, I swear!"

"Joseph!" I scolded.

"Well?" he demanded, still not placated by Cal's answer. At that moment, Joe's cell phone began to ring. He pulled it from his vest pocket. He obviously didn't recognize the number. I was aggravated that someone would actually call him in the middle of our wedding reception.

"Hello?"…" Yes, this is Mr. Morelli." Recognition crossed his face. "He is?" There was a long pause. "That's great! Can we still see him?"…"Okay, thank you! Bye." He disconnected the phone. By now, Cal had taken the opportunity to skedaddle before Joe could question him further. "That was the vet. They said Bob was awake. He's groggy, but he seems to be holding his own."

"Can we see him?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes, they said, under the circumstances, they would make an exception. We just need to call them when we arrive, so they will let us in."

"Maybe we should go _now_," I said with a sense of urgency.

"Sweetheart, now I can finally relax. I want to dance with my wife and have a few beers."

The rest of the evening went well, and at eleven o'clock, we said our good-byes to those who were still enjoying the party. As soon as we got in the car, Joe slid his hand down my cleavage and followed the open slit that continued almost to my belly button.

"How did you ever keep your boobs from falling out?"

"A _lot _of double-sided sticky tape."

He pulled me close. "So are you telling me that I'm going to have to _peel _you out of that dress?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Are you up for the challenge?"

"Sweetheart, it's hard not to be right now."

I giggled, and he pressed his lips to my neck. My nipples immediately stood at attention.

"Mmmmm," he crooned. "I just want to eat you right now."

"Joe…I…" I was enjoying the feel of his lips on my skin. He found my lips, and the make-out session that followed was nothing short of awesome. I didn't want him to stop.

"Bob," he murmured.

I pulled away from him.

"What?"

"I thought you wanted to see Bob?"

"I did…I do," I said with conviction.

He nuzzled my neck. "Mmmm…just one more kiss."


	35. Chapter 35

**I know what you are all thinking. It's about time, and you are right. I have been neglecting my writing. My heart just hasn't been in it these last 6 weeks. I've even blown off my greatest passion, publishing FTLOB book 2. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. It's just difficult when your heart and mind are stuck in another place. People think I am a strong woman, but really, I'm not. Believe it or not, a few kind words from the right person could be the single thing that could and would jump start my will to write again. In the mean time, please, I ask all of you who enjoy my stories to please be patient with me. I really am trying….**

COME TO JAMAICA

The sun was shining brightly. My bags were packed, and my husband was in the shower. The plan was to check on Bob before we left for the airport. I was sitting on the bed sifting through the satin bag with the cards in it. Joe came out of the shower and plopped on the bed next to me. He was naked. He stuck his finger in my shirt and unbuttoned the top button.

"Did you get all the sticky stuff off of your boobs?"

"Yes." I was ignoring his caresses because I wanted to deposit all of the checks in the bank before we left. I had opened an envelope while Joe busied himself with my breasts.

"Who's Mr. and Mrs. Ravino?"

"They're my god parents. Why?"

"They gave us a check for three hundred dollars."

"That's nice of them," he said, as he slid his fingers inside of my bra and caressed my bosom in an effort to reach my nipple.

"Joe!" I scolded. I noticed his dick was at half mast.

"What?—this _is _our honeymoon!"

"I want to open the cards."

Joe pushed me back on the bed and crawled over the top of me. "Tell you what. You give me a half hour of your time, and I'll help you open the cards."

"Why, Mr. Morelli, are you feeling needy?"

"Uh huh."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine. The half hour he demanded ended up being a full hour of passionate love making. As he finally rolled off of me, he spoke. "Now I have to take another shower."

I looked over at the clock. "Crap! Now we don't have time to open the cards."

"So, we'll take them with us."

Joe got up off the bed, grabbed a towel, and headed for the bathroom.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"In the shower."

"Oh, no! I'm going first and I'm going alone."

He turned and cupped my chin in his hand. "We'd save time if we showered together," he said with an evil grin.

"Haven't you had enough?" I looked down, and his dick was rock hard. "Oh my God, Joe, what is with you?"

"It's my honeymoon, and I have a beautiful and sexy wife."

How could I say no?

"Okay, but be quick about it. I want to see Bob and I don't want to miss my plane."

Joe stopped smiling.

"What? I said I'd do it!"

"No, go take your shower. I want to see Bob before we leave, too."

"Are you sure?"

He caressed my bare breasts. "We can always join the mile high club."

"I'm already a member," I teased.

"You're lying."

I wasn't, but if Joe knew that I let Dickie diddle me in the bathroom on the plane ride to Vegas, he would be devastated.

"Yeah, you're right."

I probably shouldn't have said that because he knew that I was lying.

"Who the hell did you have sex with on a plane?"

"Nobody!" I turned to go to the bathroom to take my shower.

"Stephanie, tell me the truth. Was it Ranger?"

"When was I ever on a plane with Ranger?"

"What about when you went to Hawaii?"

"I was already there when he flew in, and if you remember, I flew back alone. Joe, why are you making such a big deal about this?"

"I want to know who screwed you on a plane!"

"Stop it!" I turned on the water and stepped into the tub. Joe followed me in. "Joe!" I whined.

"Tell me," he demanded.

"No!"

"You are not getting out of this shower until you tell me."

"Fine. You tell me who you did it with first."

"What makes you think I've done it?"

I shot him a look and then rolled my eyes.

"Okay. It was the girl who I was seeing when I was in England."

"Oh." I had to admit, I was feeling a little wounded. I had hoped that he hadn't done it with anyone.

"Your turn," he pressed.

"It was a long time ago."

"You're avoiding the question."

I picked up the soap and began to wash Joe's now defunct erection.

"Stephanie, stop."

I drew in a deep breath. "It was Dickie, okay?"

"On your honeymoon," he surmised.

I wouldn't make eye contact.

"You did it on your honeymoon?"

I dipped my head back under the water and let it cascade over my head.

"Stephanie?" he said sharply.

"Yes!"

His jaw was tight, and he looked angry.

"You can't be angry about something I did ten years ago!"

"I'm sorry. It's just that he married you first, took you on a honeymoon first, and now I find out he was the first to fuck you on a plane. I wanted to be first at something."

"Are you kidding me? You took my damn virginity and then you broke my heart. A first on both accounts. And by the way, you were the first to get me pregnant."

"If it's mine."

I couldn't believe he said that. My reaction was swift. I slapped him in the face. "Get out of my way," I growled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Fuck you, Joe."

"Sweetheart, I'm just a jealous fool."

"Do you believe this is your baby?"

"Yes!"

"I don't ever want to hear you doubt that this baby is one hundred percent Morelli. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you."

I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off. Joe finished up and turned off the water. He opened the shower door, and I handed him a dry towel.

"Do you still love me?"

"Joseph Morelli, I will love you for the rest of my life. Now, let's go see Bob." I sounded like a mother.

We arrived at the Veterinarian's office, and Bob had been moved to a kennel. He stood up and wagged his tail as soon as he heard us coming. I immediately sat on the concrete floor and pulled him into my lap. He let me nuzzle him. The cast covered his entire leg. He was very clumsy as he tried to maneuver. Joe knelt down and hugged him. We both talked to him like he was our kid. We said things like, "Mommy and Daddy are going away for a little while, and Uncle Anthony is going to take good care of you." By the time we left, I felt heartbroken about leaving him there. Joe spoke to Anthony, and he said he'd be by to pick up Bob as soon as his oldest son returned from the movies. He wanted his son to help keep Bob calm during the drive home.

We arrived at the airport with an hour to spare to check in for our non-stop flight to Jamaica. As we boarded the plane, I definitely felt the tension of our earlier conversation. I resigned myself to stay in my seat, so there would be no arguments about going to the bathroom together. My plan was to restore the peace between us and to arrive in Jamaica excited to spend a full seven days with my gorgeous husband. Joe held my hand as we settled into our seats.

He looked over at me. "I can't believe you are my wife. You know I dreamed about this for a long time."

"According to Anthony, you've been dreaming about it since you were eighteen."

"Back then, it was more like a fantasy. It didn't become a dream until five years ago when I showed up at your apartment with pizza and beer, and you actually let me in."

"I like pizza and beer," I said nonchalantly.

He leaned close. "You know, you made me wait a long time before you let me make love to you."

"That's because the first time I was easy, and you left me."

"I had to go to boot camp," he said in his defense.

"A. You might have come to me and told me that. And B. Have you never heard of writing a letter?"

"What good would a long distance relationship have done? We were both too immature. Anthony was right. Chances are I would have come home from boot camp and knocked you up before being stationed in England. Then what would you have done? Had a baby while you were still in high school? We wouldn't have been prepared to deal with it, and it would have destroyed us."

Everything he said made perfect sense. "So, you think we are in the right place now?"

"Absolutely, Mrs. Morelli." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

I couldn't help but smile because I liked the fact that I belonged to Joe Morelli, the hottest guy in the Burg—and even better, he belonged to me.

We arrived at our hotel late in the afternoon. I expected to see a high rise hotel, but to my pleasant surprise, Sandals at Montego Bay was all at no more than two floors. Upon our arrival, we were greeted at the front desk with champagne. When I told them I was pregnant, the concierge said, "No problem. I have sparkling grape juice if you prefer." He pulled a bottle from the small refrigerator located behind the counter and filled a fluted glass with the non-alcoholic beverage. He then dropped a fresh strawberry into the glass and presented it to me.

"I hope you will enjoy your stay with us. My name is Ricardo. If you need anything, just give me a call here at the front desk, and I will do everything in my power to accommodate you."

"Thank you, Ricardo. That's very sweet of you."

Joe stepped up to the counter and received dual keys to our room. The bellhop placed our bags on a baggage dolly and escorted us to our suite at Bay Roc Villa. It was a nice walk from the building where we checked in.

As soon as he opened the door, the first thing I noticed was the king-sized bed. It had four dark-wood posts that reached to the ceiling. The room had dark-wood treatments where the walls met the ceiling and around the windows. The windows also had slatted shudders made out of the same wood. The mini bar and dresser were made up of one very long unit that spanned the wall opposite the bed. The room was nothing short of opulent. The bell hop unloaded the bags and placed them on the floor out of the way and then turned and walked to the French doors. He opened them and pushed the doors all the way out and secured them by lowering the stopper at the bottom of the door. We were looking directly at the ocean about fifty feet away. The view was absolutely breathtaking. In an instant, I thought I could live here forever.

The bellhop reentered the suite. Joe peeled off a couple of bills and handed them to him. He graciously accepted and asked if there was anything else we would need. Joe told him no and accompanied the bellhop to the door.

As soon as he was gone I ran to the bed and jumped onto it. The comforter was soft and fluffy, like lying on a cloud. I thought it odd that the comforter was so thick considering it was ninety degrees outside. Joe slithered onto the bed and hovered over me on his hands and knees.

"So, what do you want to do first, Mrs. Morelli?"

"Let's go exploring!" I said with enthusiasm.

"Sure, I'll start with you," he said, and then he kissed my collarbone.

"Joe!" I whined. "I want to see the resort before it gets dark."

His face contorted. "Seriously?"

I made a pouty face. Joe rolled onto his back. "I've been married twenty four hours, and I'm already being denied sex."

I rolled over so I was leaning on his chest, face to face with him. "_We_'ve been married for over a month, and you will get plenty of sex…later." I kissed his nose. Joe placed his hands on my waist to keep me from rolling away.

"Can I at least get a kiss?"

I gave him a peck on the lips.

He frowned. "A _real_ kiss?"

"What do you say?" I teased. Joe and I both knew that a _real_ kiss would probably be all it would take to keep me from leaving this bed. I resigned myself to do his bidding, but I thought I'd make him squirm a bit.

Joe bit his lower lip. "Please?"

I smiled. "That's not what I was going for, but you said it so cute!" I leaned in to kiss him. My lips barely touched his, when he pushed me back.

"Wait, what did you want me to say?"

"I love you," I replied.

"I love you, too."

"No, that's what I wanted you to say."

He grinned. "I know, but I got you to say it first."

"You're so stupid."

"I thought I was cute."

"That, too."

"Cute enough to have sex with?"

"You just don't give up, do you?"

"Nope."

I let out a deep sigh. "I suppose the resort will still be here in an hour."

Joe rolled me over, so he was on top again. He ran a finger along my cheek. "You always were easy to seduce."

"On the plane, you complained that I made you wait forever to make love to me. All I know is you stuck around, and I did get you to finally marry me."

"Now, see? That's where you and I differ. I would have married you four years ago. In my mind, I finally got _you _to marry _me_. For a while there, I thought I'd lost you to Ranger."

"You are so stupid."

"You already said that."

"Your hour just whittled down to fifty five minutes."

Joe kissed my neck as he slid his hand up my shirt and squeezed my breast over my bra.

"I thought you wanted to kiss me."

He paused at my collarbone. "I am kissing you."

"I meant my lips."

He kissed my cleavage and stopped. "What do you say?"

"I love you."

"Nope," he said, as he tried to repress his smile.

"Please?"

"Nope." He continued to pull on my shirt until he slid it up and over my head. He tossed it on the chair and looked back to me. "Well?"

"Fuck me, Morelli."

He broke into a toothy grin. "That'll do." He cradled my face in his hands and slowly pressed his warm lips to mine. He gave me the Morelli treatment; the one got me behind that cannoli case. I remembered it like it was yesterday. There was something about the way he breathed. It was almost like he filled me with sexual tension each time he exhaled into my mouth—and he would hum quietly. It drew me in and made me dizzy—and just when I thought I would melt into the bed; he slid his hand over my bra and pulled it back exposing my nipple. He caressed it with two fingers and then broke from my lips. He held my jaw with his free hand, so he could graze his lips and teeth just under my jaw line. Then he slowly trailed kisses down my neck. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. He made me feel so sexy. He grabbed my bra straps and pulled them, so my breasts were exposed, and he licked the nipple he had been fondling earlier. He blew on it, and it stood at attention.

"Yeah, that's what I like," he whispered. He unzipped my Capri's and pulled them off as he inched his way off the bed. He stripped off his clothes while I watched. Watching Joe was always entertaining because his body was so damn hot. He stood naked before me like a stallion.

I rolled off the bed and got to my knees. I grabbed a hold of his dick and licked it like it was my favorite flavor ice cream cone on a hot day.

"I thought married ladies don't give blow jobs."

I paused and looked up at him. "Who the hell told you that?"

"Anthony, Mooch, a couple of guys at the station—oh and Albert."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Cupcake, I don't ever want you to stop."

I went back to what I was doing. I'm sure he would probably disagree, but I was enjoying what I was doing as much as he enjoyed the feeling of my lips wrapped around his hard-on and my tongue teasing the sensitive tip. I was probably close to ten minutes into it, when Joe suddenly fell silent. I thought this was unusual considering he had been so vocal prior to that moment.

He finally spoke, but the words that came out of his mouth left me mortified. "I wonder if that couple out there can see us."

I immediately stopped and twisted around to see that the French doors were still propped open. There was a couple walking along the beach about fifty feet away.

"Oh, my God! Joe, why didn't you tell me the doors were open?"

"I like the view."

I shook my head in disbelief as I stood up. I was still wearing my bra and panties which could have easily been mistaken for a bikini. I ran to the patio and closed the French doors. Joe stood there in his birthday suit laughing. His hard-on had wilted to half mast.

"I can't believe you!" I snarled, as I swung the second door closed.

"Hey, I was going to shut the door, but you seemed so eager to please me."

"I'm not eager now!"

Joe came forward and pulled me to him. His semi-hard dick pressed into my pelvis. "The doors are closed now," he purred, as kissed my neck. "Don't you want me to please you?"

"No," I said rather unconvincingly.

"I bet I can make you purr like a kitten."

He slid his hand between my legs and lightly brushed his fingertips along the crotch of my silky panties. The sensation caused me to let out a sigh.

"You like that?" he whispered.

"Do it again."

Joe continued to nibble on my neck and started to lightly rub my pussy over my panties. I could feel my juices flowing. Joe pushed me backwards toward the bed. I went willingly.

By the time Joe released his love juice into me, we were both sweating. He pulled out and collapsed on the bed next to me. I bounced off the bed and made a beeline to the bathroom. I entered the bathroom and stopped short to admire its beauty and spaciousness. One thing about Trenton, bathrooms were made to be practical and took up only as much room as absolutely necessary. This room was like walking into heaven. There were dual sinks with forest green marble countertops. There was a Jacuzzi tub plus a separate standup shower that was big enough for the two of us to enjoy at the same time. There were no doors or curtains! It was all warm brown tiles with darker brown streaks. It was beautiful. The dark wood treatments in the ceiling extended into this room and around the mirrors. Tropical printed green wallpaper adorned the upper portion of the wall.

"Joe!" I called.

"What?" he called back.

"Come here!" I said with urgency.

He came trotting into the bathroom.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah, it's nice."

I couldn't tell if he meant it or if he was just saying so to shut me up.

"I want a bathroom like this."

"Sure, I'll start on it right away," he said sarcastically.

I turned to him. "We could add onto the house."

"Or we could sell the house and buy a different one. One that suits your bathroom needs."

"Joe, I don't want to sell your house. I love our neighborhood."

"It's not my house; it's _our_ house, and why don't we wait and see where we stand financially after we get back to the Berg."

"You spent a lot on this honeymoon, didn't you?"

"I did. So, what do you say we don't waist it staring at the bathroom? I thought you wanted to go exploring."

"I do. I'm just going to take a quick shower. Care to join me? Look at it. It's huge."

"Do I get to soap you up?"

"Yes, but no more sex until tonight."

"It's after six so technically, it _is_ tonight."

"Joseph!"

"Okay, okay! No hanky panky in the shower."

After we showered and dressed, we took a walk out toward the ocean. The water was turquoise, and there was a walkway that led to a private gazebo over the water with what could only be described as a bed.

"Wow, now this is something," Joe murmured. "We could make love right here under the stars."

I wrapped my arms around him. "Mr. Morelli, you have a deal. Tonight— midnight." I kissed him.

"It's a date, Mrs. Morelli."

We spent the next half hour roaming though the resort. We saw a giant chess board in the middle of a lush carpet of green grass. We found volley ball courts, tennis courts, a golf course, and dozens of pools: big pools, little pools, kidney shaped pools, odd shaped pools. Some of them even had waterfalls. Most of the pools were accompanied by bars or food service stands. After a while, we came to a restaurant called Tokyo Joe's. We looked at each other and knew this was where we wanted to eat our first meal. "It's kismet," Joe said. It was a Japanese steakhouse. We were given quite a show by the chef. He did all the tricks: the shrimp flip into the pocket, the onion volcano, the balance the egg on the spatula routine, and even a trick I had never seen before where he butterflied the shrimp while it was in the air. The food was delicious, and we both walked away full. Joe only had one drink, although it was a drink for two. I had a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

After dinner, we decided to take a swim at one of the many amazing pools. We came upon a pool that was rocking with calypso music and seemed to have quite a crowd. We found out why pretty quickly, when the DJ announced that they were going to start a game of Pictionary. It sounded like fun, so Joe and I joined in. The players were broken up into two teams of eight players each. Couples were forced to be on different teams to make it harder. I lounged in a chair with Joe in the pool as his team went up to bat first. Every picture was vacation themed. I guessed the second clue on our team. It was 'tropical island getaway'.

Joe just looked at me. "Are you serious?"

"What? You're just mad because I'm smarter than you are."

I think Joe tried harder after that, but in the end our team won. We were each given a huge beach towel with 'Sandals Resort' embossed on it and a picture of the pool we were lounging in on it.

Joe had a few more drinks at the pool. I was afraid he might get too drunk and forego our 'date' at the gazebo.

He didn't. When we left the pool, he took me directly to the gazebo. We spent the next hour caressing and kissing in the moonlight before he made love to me again.

By the time I crawled into my bed, I was satiated in every way possible. I was so looking forward to the next six days with my man.

We slept in until nine. We were both hungry, so even though Joe got frisky, we had what I could only describe as a quickie to satisfy Joe's needs and headed to the Bayside restaurant which was an indoor/outdoor restaurant and ate breakfast from the enormous buffet. They had everything: fresh tropical fruit including pineapples, mangoes, papaya, kiwi, oranges, grapefruit, and breads, bagels, muffins, eggs, both scrambled and eggs Benedict, bacon, sausage links, ham, assorted types of cereal, and hash browns. Joe chowed down like a champ. I tried to be more selective in what I ate knowing this was only the beginning of the day and food was likely to be a highlight everywhere we went.

We spent the early part of the day on the beach. The water was extremely warm. We practiced snorkeling because we wanted to try it on a trip to a reef that was offered by the resort. I was surprised at how easily I picked it up. And just as I had suspected, there was a little hut on the beach that served Jerk chicken, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and fries. I just had to try the jerk chicken, and unfortunately it was delicious—just another demon for my already expanding waistline. Joe told me I wasn't fat, probably because he couldn't see past my boobs, and he didn't care if they got bigger.

That evening, we ate at Cucina Romana, which served Italian food. Of course it couldn't hold a candle to the Italian food in the Berg, but it was delicious all the same. Then we met several other couples at the dock for a sunset cruise on a catamaran. It was called the Reggae Cruise because they served rum punch and featured local reggae music. We got to know another couple that just happened to be from New Jersey, although they were from further north in Hackensack. There names were Theresa and Jack. Jack was a plumber and Theresa said she worked for the hospital as a nurse. They had two kids back home that they left with grandma. They were a lot of fun. They had been here before and knew how to boogie down.

By the time we landed, Joe was a little tipsy, and I was feeling just a little nauseas. It seemed the rolling of the ocean didn't exactly agree with my pregnancy. Joe ended up passing out while I was in the bathroom taking a shower. I climbed into the bed and snuggled into Joe, and he instinctively wrapped his arm around me.

The following day we went on a trip to a place outside of the resort called Dunn's River Falls. It was amazing. The falls rose up six hundred feet, and we started at the bottom as a group with a guide and climbed them while we were in the water. The guide had us all join hands like a human chain as we climbed. He said it was like school, "No man, woman, or child left behind." I think it was the best day for me because Joe didn't have the chance to drink, and the water was refreshing. We took a ton of pictures.

That evening we went into town and ate at Margaritaville. It was a festive place that played loud music and there were lots of young people looking to have fun. It was like spring break all over again. The best part was the trampoline and slide just outside the restaurant that extended into the ocean. Joe didn't want me to take a chance on the Trampoline, but we had fun on the slide. This time I didn't let him drink to excess, and we had a very romantic night in the gazebo again. What made it really romantic was seeing lightning in the sky very far away. It reminded me of cauliflower the way it lit up the sky.

By morning it was raining. We decided to go back to the room after breakfast for a little morning delight, and when we got there, we found a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a basket of fresh fruit had been delivered to our room during our absence. I pulled the card from the flowers expecting it to be from Ranger. It just seemed like something he would do. I read it out loud.

"To the beautiful bride, I'm sorry I was unable to attend your wedding. I will make it up to you. In the meantime, accept the flowers and the fruit as my gift while you enjoy your time in Jamaica. One day, it will be our turn.—Richard." The card dropped from my hands. "Oh, my God!"

Joe jumped off the bed. "Now, don't be upset. He's in jail."

"Then how did he get this to us? How did he know we were here?"

"He's obviously got someone working for him who was able to find out where we were."

"He's never going to give up."

"No one is going to give him bond, and when he goes to court, he'll be convicted and he'll go away for a while."

"And what happens when he gets out?"

"Hopefully, he'll have gotten past this obsession by then."

"And if he doesn't?" I said, wringing my hands.

Joe pulled my hands apart and pulled me into his arms. "I'll hire Ranger to kill him."

"Ranger isn't a murderer for hire!" I lamented. "And besides I don't want to murder anyone!"

"Sweetheart, can we not worry about this now? We are on our honeymoon, and Kaiser is locked up."

"Let's go for a walk. I bet you'd like to buy a few things for your mother, and Valerie, and Anthony for watching Bob."

"Can we call him? I want to know how Bob is doing."

"Sure." Joe pulled out his phone and called his brother.

Angelina answered. She assured me that Bob was doing well. In fact the kids were getting along so well with Bob; she asked if she could keep him.

"NO!" Joe and I said in unison. Who ever would have suspected that this furry beast would steal our hearts so? I couldn't imagine Bob not being a part of our family.

"Oh, well. I guess we'll just have to get a puppy. Tony Jr's birthday is coming up, and he's the one who Bob sleeps with. He's also the one who takes Bob out for his walks."

"How is the leg holding up?"

"He walks real good on it now. He's used to the cast."

She asked us about our trip, and we told her we were having a good time and then we hung up.

We decided to go to one of the bars that always seemed to have some kind of game going on, but we stopped at the main desk on the way. Joe asked the concierge if he knew who delivered the flowers to us.

"I'm sorry. I don't see any notation that anything was delivered to your room, Mr. Morelli."

"Did anyone call and ask what room we were in?" Joe asked.

"Not that I am aware of. I can ask the receptionist who was on last night if you like."

"Yes, please," Joe insisted.

"Of course. Is this something we should be concerned about?"

"It's a police matter."

"Are you a police officer?" Ricardo asked.

"Not on this island." Joe said, and he wrapped his arm around me and led me out of the building. "Sweetheart, let's just enjoy our honeymoon, okay?"

"Okay," I said rather tentatively.

Joe kissed my temple. "I love you."

We spent the afternoon at one of the bars playing 'The Newlywed Game'. We almost won, but we blew the final question which was how many hours have you been married? I answered from the date of the first wedding and Joe answered from the date the second. The host of the game made a joke because we were nearly a thousand hours off from each other.

"We were married twice," I explained. "The first time was over a month ago, and the second was a few days ago."

The host looked at us and nodded his head, but gave the audience a look like we were crazy.

Joe defended me. "No, really. We decided to get married, but before we could set a date, she found out she was pregnant. We couldn't book the reception hall until after Thanksgiving, and we didn't want to wait. So, we married at the city hall, and then we got married again in front of all of our family and friends."

The host pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "That's beautiful, man!" He looked at the audience. "What do you say we give the expecting couple a gift anyway?"

The crowd cheered. He walked over to the bartender and whispered something to him. The bartender walked away and returned with a bottle of booze. He handed it to the host, who in turn walked back to us.

"Now, of course you can't drink it now, but after you have that baby, I want you to take a night off with your husband and enjoy yourself with this here bottle of our finest Jamaican rum."

Joe took the bottle. "Thank you." He waved the bottle at the crowd, and they all cheered.

That evening, we ate at the Oleander, which was a lovely restaurant that served Jamaican food. We decided to each have soup instead of an appetizer. Joe had the Caribbean Conch Chowder and I had the Pumpkin soup. I couldn't decide which one I liked better; they were both so good. For our entrée, I chose the Jerk Chicken Roulade. I fell in love with it when I had it at the Beach Hut. The Oleander made it even better. Joe had the Charbroiled Rack of Lamb with mint sauce. Tonight's meal was the best by far. We didn't even have room for dessert. After dinner we decided to spend the night in our room. It was a magical night. We ordered our desert through room service at midnight.

The last two days at the resort were wonderful. Joe was wonderful. When it came time to finally leave, I was sad. I really didn't want to go home—except for Bob. I missed him. I knew once we got home, Joe would be going back to work, and I wouldn't be doing anything. I was officially his wife now and I had no job, no wedding to plan, just a house to clean and dinners to cook. I felt—useless. Joe never found out who delivered the flowers and the fruit. He said he wasn't surprised.

I was quiet on the plane. Joe held my hand and kissed it several times before take off. Once we got in the air, I got up to go to the bathroom. I opened the door to leave and Joe was standing there. He pushed me backwards and entered the small space.

"You know there's only one thing that could make this honeymoon perfect," he said quietly as he pushed the door closed.

"Really? What would that be?" I said coyly.

"Well, _Mrs_. Morelli hasn't yet joined the mile high club, and I would love to be the man to do it."

"You've never had sex on a plane as a married man, have you?"

"Nu-uh."


	36. Chapter 36

**I know this has been a long time coming. Please, forgive me. FTLOB and the summer outdoors thing has been impeding in my FanFic writing. I hope to be done with the publishing process of FTLOB book 2 in a few weeks, and then I will set my sights on Stephanie and her crazy life. I hope you like the chapter.**

THE RANGER THING

The first two weeks after we returned from our honeymoon were bearable. Bob was happy to be back with us, even though Anthony tried everything to keep Bob. He didn't even mind that he chewed things up because it was mostly the kids' things that he destroyed. After we got home, Bob chewed up the beautiful hand-crocheted purse that Joe had bought for me in Jamaica. I was so mad; I actually considered giving Bob to Anthony. I was sitting on the couch crying over the loss of my purse when Bob trotted over to me and licked my face. I looked up. My eyes met his big, happy, brown eyes and I hugged him.

I visited with my parents and Grandma Mazur. I showed them all of my pictures and Grandma managed to get a synopsis of our sex life during the honeymoon. She seemed pleased to know that my pregnancy didn't inhibit my sexual appetite. Now that she was in a relationship, sex had become a priority to her, so much so, that she had talked her partner into investing in Viagra.

"If that husband of yours decides he's not in the mood, give him one of these." She rooted around in her purse until she found the prescription container with the Viagra. She opened the container and dropped a pill into her hand. "Here, take it!" she insisted.

"Grandma, why are you carrying your boyfriend's Viagra in your purse?"

"You don't think I want him using it on someone else, do you? Last night, I was at the Webster viewing—you know old man Webster, he used to keep any ball that landed on his lawn."

"Right, he lived down the street from Joseph."

"Yep, that's the one. He was ninety-four years old; still had his own teeth. He was a fine horse. They say he was hung like one, too."

"Please tell me you didn't peek in his pants."

"Never got the chance. I walked up to the casket, and Barbara Harrison tried to steal my man with a brownie! Imagine that! I dragged him out of that funeral home as fast as I could."

"If you can't trust him, then why stay with him?"

She shook the prescription container. "You have any idea how hard it is to find a man over seventy who can still perform?"

"Mother!" my mother scolded as she entered the kitchen. "Put that bottle away!"

"Oh, you're just jealous because that cranky husband of yours won't take the magic pill."

"He doesn't need a magic pill. He's got plenty of magic in him."

I clapped my hands over my ears. "La la la la la la la! I don't want to hear this!" Thankfully, I heard the Ducati pull up. "Excuse me." I rushed out the front door and met Joe as he was coming up the walkway. "Save me!" I cried as I threw my arms around him.

"What's wrong?" He sounded concerned.

"I've been with my mother and my grandmother for three hours. What do you think is wrong?"

Joe laughed. The rest of the evening went as expected. Grandma grilled Joe about using the _magic_ pill. Joe reminded grandma that his stuff was working just fine, and that once he got his already pregnant wife home, he intended to practice for the next kid. I blushed, as did my mother. My father shoved another forkful of pot roast into his mouth.

That night, Joe kept his word. We practiced—a lot!

I had to admit the sex was great, but after the first week of visiting everyone and showing them the pictures from the honeymoon, and telling the same story over and over again, it got old. I bought a cook book, and I made some simple dishes using the crock pot that we had been given as a wedding gift.

It seemed that cooking really wasn't so hard if you put your mind to it. The reality was cooking and housekeeping didn't really excite me. I was bored. When I got an unexpected call from Ranger, my heart skipped a beat.

"So, you've been married for two weeks and you've forgotten all about me?"

"Ranger! No! Of course not! I just figured you'd be too busy down there fighting off all those beautiful Latino girls to have time to think about me."

Ranger chuckled. "Need I remind you that Miami is a job, not a vacation? Did you think I'd be spending my days sitting on a beach?"

The truth was I _did_ picture him sitting on a beach in his black board shorts and mirrored Ray-Bans surrounded by hot women in bikinis vying for his attention.

"Um, no." The insecurity was evident in my voice.

"Babe, I haven't even left yet. I had some business in New York that I had to deal with. I don't leave until the day after tomorrow."

"Can I come see you?" I asked a little too eagerly.

"Sure, maybe you'd like to hang out on the beach with me."

"It's December."

"And?"

"And it's forty degrees out there."

"Not in Florida."

"Right, you're going to fly me to Florida and what?—steal me away from my husband?"

He chuckled. "While that doesn't sound like a bad plan, I was thinking more realistically. I thought I'd fly you down for the day."

"Right. By the time we get there, it will be time to come back."

"Not if we took a private plane."

I figured he had to be joking, so I played along. "Really? That would be awesome!" I gushed.

"Babe."

I wasn't sure what he was alluding to with his "babe" remark. "What?"

"I wasn't kidding."

"When was the last time you took a day off?"

"When I went to Atlantic City, remember?"

"Right, so you could sleep with that waitress. Why spend time on the beach with me? After all, I'm married and pregnant, not exactly fit to sunbath with the likes of you." It was a sad attempt at a guilt trip on a man who held no guilt.

There was dead silence on the other end.

"Carlos?"

"Let me see if I can clear my schedule for tomorrow."

"Really? You would do that for me?"

"If you only knew the things I've done for you. I'll call you back."

"When?"

"Later."

As I hung up the phone, my adrenalin shot through the roof. I didn't know what to do with myself. I plopped on the couch and turned on the TV, but I was too pumped up to pay attention. I needed to get out. I took Bob for a walk. That was only a temporary fix. I called Joe. He was too busy to talk and said that he'd be home late. Married two weeks and my cop husband was already putting in the long hours. I decided I needed a road trip. I had been using _Big Blue_ as my ride this last week and a half since Joe and I returned from our honeymoon. I jumped in the car and drove on auto-pilot to the Rangeman building. I pulled up to the parking garage and was granted entrance. After parking next to the SUV, I made my way to the elevator. I still had the fob for the seventh floor. I hesitated and then pushed number five. As the door opened, I was greeted by Tank.

"What brings you here, Mrs. Morelli?"

"I missed you," I said cheerfully.

"You missed _me_?"

"Sure, I haven't seen you since the wedding."

"You know, Ranger's not here."

"Oh—well—I didn't come just to see him," I said coyly.

Tank smiled. "Right. Well, it's been really busy. I don't know that I'll have much time to chat with you. I have to man the computer since Ranger let Esposito take a week off before shipping him to Miami. I need to hire someone, but I just haven't had the time."

"I could work for you!" I blurted out.

Tank's eyes met mine. "Really? You'd work for me? You know that Ranger will be in Florida."

"I know."

"What about Morelli?"

_Shit. Joe would be pissed. _My face conveyed my disappointment. "He doesn't have to know."

"So what are you going to tell him you are doing for eight hours a day?"

"Um—I don't know. Maybe, I could tell him that I'm going back to school."

"School? For what? Don't you have a degree in something?"

"Oh, Tank! I'm so bored! I have to do something! Maybe I could work part time for like, I don't know, five hours a day—from nine till two—at least until you can hire someone."

"That might work."

I flung my arms around Tanks neck. "Oh, thank you!"

"I have to clear it with Ranger first."

"No problem," I said, assuming Ranger wouldn't object.

"When would you be able to start?"

"Right now!"

"As much as I admire your enthusiasm, I can't start you now, but you can watch me if you want—to see if it's something you'd want to do."

"I've done this job before, remember?"

"Oh, right…"

I followed Tank back to the cubby where Esposito worked. I saw Vince across the room. I smiled and waved to him. He gave me a nod, acknowledging my presence. Tank pulled a chair from another desk and placed it next to the chair he had been sitting in.

"Thank you," I said as I sat down.

He returned to his seat and unlocked his screen. "I'm doing security checks on employees at an office we are investigating. The office manager thinks one of the employees is pilfering petty cash and assorted items from the kitchen."

"What kind of items?"

"Well, they have an employee who orders the kitchen supplies, like plates, paper towels, coffee, sugar—stuff like that. This employee says they are going through the supplies at an alarming rate. Another employee claims she had fifty dollars stolen out of her wallet. Oh yeah, and there's a jar that is used as a party fund. All the employees contribute when they can. I'm told that most of them throw a dollar or two in on payday. The bills seem to be disappearing from the jar."

"So don't leave the jar out," I replied. "That's easy enough."

"True. It's not a huge amount of money. The point is someone's a thief, and the partners don't want a thief on their payroll. It's the principal of the thing. The actions of one can spread, and before you know it, others think they can get away with it, too."

"Okay, so throw a camera in the kitchen." It seemed like a simple solution to me.

"Can't. The partners don't want the employees to feel like they're being watched."

"Jesus! So, put a mole in there."

Tank looked at me with a deadpan expression. "You see any women working here?"

"You mean the office is all women?"

"With the exception of the doctors, yes."

"Doctors?"

"It's a doctor's office—a large practice with twelve physicians—surgeons."

"Oh hell, I could do that."

"I thought you weren't supposed to be chasing down miscreants."

"What miscreants? This is a petty thief. All I'd have to do is get in there and mingle with the help."

"Well, first you have to make sure Ranger is willing to take a chance with you being pregnant and all. You look cute with your little belly, by the way." He shot me a shy smile.

"I look fat," I said bluntly.

"You look pregnant."

I suddenly remembered that I had agreed to let Ranger take me to the beach—and here I was looking like a fat cow. I pulled out my cell phone and began searching my contacts.

"Who are you calling?" Tank asked.

"Shhh!"

No sooner had I placed the phone to my ear, he answered. "Yo."

"Never mind. I don't want to go to the beach."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Babe."

I spilled my guts. "That's just it. I'm not a babe anymore. I'm fat," I lamented.

"And?"

_And? Did he just say 'And?' He thinks I'm fat, too. _I hung up.

"What's wrong?" Tank asked.

"I told him I was fat and he said, 'And?'"

"Oh."

Tank's phone began to ring.

"I should answer that," he said cautiously.

"Right."

Tank put the phone to his ear and was silent for a few seconds. "She's here…I think she wants a job…uh, huh…sure, boss."

Tank disconnected and turned his attention to me. "He wanted to know where you were."

"Why would he ask you? Are you still tracking me?"

"For your safety only."

"What did he say?"

"He said to keep you here. He's on his way in."

"Did he sound mad?"

"Ranger never sounds mad."

"Crap. He's mad. I just know it."

Tank chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"You married Morelli, and you don't seem to be worried about him being mad if you take this job, and yet you're upset that Ranger might be angry that you hung up on him."

"Well, I'm not upset about Joe because I'm not going to tell him I'm working."

"You think that's a good idea?"

"I think that's a _great_ idea. After all, I'm only going to be working for a few weeks, maybe a month at best before you find a replacement, right?"

"I guess."

"I also think that I should get out of here before Ranger shows up."

"Why?"

"I'd like to buy a little time to give him the chance to cool down."

"Why, exactly, did you hang up on him again?"

"Because I was going to go to the beach with him, and then I canceled because I'm fat, and I don't want him to see me in a bathing suit."

"Um….it's December. I don't think you'd be wearing a bathing suit, more like a parka."

"He was going to fly me to Florida for the day."

"So, you hung up on him?" He was clearly not getting the picture.

"When I said I was fat, he agreed."

"I'm confused."

"He wasn't supposed to agree."

Tank shook his head. "I'm glad I'm single."

"I thought you were going out with that Indian girl. What was her name?"

"Sachi. Yeah, we broke up. She didn't like my cats. She said I spoil them. I told her they spoil me."

"One day you'll find a lady who will love your cats as much as you do."

"I'm okay if I don't."

"Don't you want to get married and have a family?"

"Sure, I guess."

"You don't sound very sure about it."

"Well, my mother is in Florida. She would be upset if she couldn't see her grandchildren."

"You could move her up here."

"She'd never move to New Jersey. Besides, I miss Florida."

"Then why don't you run things in Florida, and then Ranger could stay here?"

He leaned close. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course."

"That's kinda the plan. Ranger is going to get everything running smoothly in Miami, and then he is going to send me there to run the operation, but only if I can prove myself here, first."

"So he's coming back?"

"There's a good possibility."

"Okay, I really have to go."

"Stay."

"No. I hate when he's mad at me." I got up and headed for the elevator. I turned to Tank. "Talk to him about the job. Tell him I'll call him tomorrow."

"Will do."

I hugged him and stepped into the elevator. I pushed the button for "ground floor" and settled back against the railing. I stared at the numbers on the display and blindly watched the numbers descend. My mind was on Ranger. _What the hell was I thinking? Going to Florida with Ranger? For a day? Who does that?_

As the number hit _one, _I pushed away from the railing. I stared at the number on the display and watched it change as the elevator descended to the parking garage. I was eager to get out before Ranger returned. The doors slid open, and I was face to face with the most gorgeous and impeccably dressed god—only this god wasn't smiling.

As soon as he saw me, he grabbed my arms and forced me backward into the elevator. "Mrs. Morelli, where are you going in such a hurry?"

The scent of Bulgari wafted over me.

"Um, I have to cook dinner?" I said meekly.

"A domesticated Stephanie. Now that's a thought that will keep me up at night." He paused, waiting for my reply. When I had none to offer, he continued. "Why are you looking for a job?"

"Um…I wasn't, really."

The doors to the elevator slid closed, and he released me. "So—this is good-bye then."

I felt pain at his statement, and my face didn't hide it.

"We can still do something tomorrow," I said in an effort to salvage the situation.

"I was actually looking forward to the beach."

"I—I can't."

"Because you're fat."

I could feel the blush on my face.

"Stephanie, you are not the first pregnant woman I've ever seen. I have a daughter, remember? My wife and I did not split until after Julie was born."

"Yeah, but…"

He caressed my face with the back side of his fingers. "You're beautiful."

"I'll feel self-conscious," I said in my defense.

"I won't let you."

I felt my nipples go erect. Ranger smiled. "Babe."

"Okay! I'll wear a cover-up."

He brushed my hair behind my ear. "Wear your bikini."

"Um…"

"Please."

"I won't embarrass you?"

He leaned in close. His lips were only inches away from mine.

"Okay, I'll wear a tankini."

"No tankini. I want to see a strip of cloth here…" He ran his fingers across my breasts and managed to graze my nipples. "And another strip here…" I backed away before he could touch me again. He lips curled into a smile, and he quickly suppressed it. He was definitely enjoying watching me squirm. "So, how's married life?" he asked casually.

"Good," I squeaked.

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure." I was completely tongue tied. I loved Joe, and I was happy in my marriage, but Ranger knew just how to push my buttons. I stepped out of the elevator, and the doors started to close. I stared at Ranger as he stood with his arms folded across his chest. The doors closed, and he was gone. I breathed in a deep sigh and trudged back to Big Blue.

I opened the door, and there was a single pink rose on the seat with a card. It read, "I missed you."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. While I was on my honeymoon, I didn't miss anyone. I was as happy as a lark with my Italian stallion. I didn't miss Ranger until Joe went back to work, and I was left alone. I felt good that I loved Joe enough to forget Ranger, but I felt like shit because now I wanted Ranger to fill the emptiness I'd felt over the last week.

I was driving to the supermarket debating on whether or not I was just using Ranger to fill my own needs. As parked my car, my phone rang. I had a text message from Ranger. It read, "Don't let me down. After tomorrow, I'm gone."

A lump rose in my throat. I couldn't stand him up. I bought what I needed for dinner and rushed back home. I went into the bedroom and began pulling my swimsuits out of the dresser drawer. _Too skimpy—tankini; he said no. _I pulled out another. _Polka dots? I'd look like the polka dot elephant toy on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! _I pulled out another bikini. It was a thong. _What was I thinking when I bought this?_ I finally grabbed my purse and headed back out the door. I dialed my phone.

"Hello?"

"Connie! I need your help!"

"What do you need?"

"I need to buy a swimsuit—a bikini."

"A bikini? You're five months pregnant."

"I know. That's why I need your help."

"Didn't you just get back from Jamaica?"

"Yes, but I wore tankinis."

"Why on earth do you need a bathing suit?"

"Ranger wants to fly me to Florida tomorrow for a day at the beach, and he requested that I wear a bikini."

The phone went silent.

"Connie?"

More silence.

"Connie?"

"You're fucking with me, right?"

"No, I'm not."

"You are a married woman."

"I'm not going to sleep with him. I'm going to spend the day on the beach."

"And where exactly are you going to sleep after this day on the beach?"

"He's flying me back. I'll be sleeping with my husband."

"You're out of your mind. Do you know that?"

"He's leaving after tomorrow, maybe for good." I knew better, but I hoped I could convince her to see it my way.

"What about Morelli?"

"What about him?"

"He's your husband. Were you planning on telling him?"

"I already have." I waited for her to call my bluff.

"He agreed to that?"

"Sure, why wouldn't he?"

"His arch nemesis wants to put you on a plane and fly away with you, and he's all right with that?"

"Connie, he trusts me."

"Honestly, I don't know who's more crazy, you or your husband."

"Are you gonna come with me or not?"

"Sure—in about an hour? Vinnie's out of the office."

"I'm coming for you now."

"Jesus. What if I had said no?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't."

I arrived at the bond office, and as soon as I walked in the door, Lula was on me.

"Hey, girl! Where the hell have you been? I missed the shiznet out of you!"

"I've been playing the domestic goddess. I visited with my family and with Joe's. I wrote my thank you cards and I cleaned my house. I've cooked dinner everyday for a week. I'm bored out of my skull."

"Well, girlfriend, let's go out to eat."

"No, I can't. I'm on a mission."

"Ooo! A mission! I'm down with that!"

I shot Connie a look.

"Lula, Stephanie already called me to go with her. I need you to hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"That's cray. I'm not the office manager. I shouldn't have to stay."

"No, _I'm_ the office manager, so that means I get to give the orders. You're staying." Connie got up from her desk and grabbed her purse. "And the only thing "cray" around here is you." I followed her to the door before Lula could protest further. Connie pulled open the door and walked into Mattie.

"Stephanie!" He rushed past Connie and hugged me. "Look at you! You finally look like you're pregnant."

I should have been flattered, but I wasn't. I was—depressed. Before I could answer him, Lula once again vaulted her way into the conversation.

"Good. Mateo, you can watch the office. I'm going with them."

"That's not in my job description," Mattie shot back.

"It is today!" Lula growled.

"When do _I_ get to see Stephanie?" he asked.

"In a couple of days, we'll do lunch, okay?" I answered sincerely. It's not like I wanted Lula to come with us. I just didn't feel like hearing the repercussions if she was left behind.

We went to the mall and all the major department stores had no swimsuits. After all, it was December. Who buys swimsuits in December? Finally, I asked a young clerk in Macy's where she would go if she needed a swimsuit. She suggested PacSun. Thank god! They had suits. Lula pulled practically every suit they had—for herself. Why she was trying on bathing suits, I couldn't tell you. At least, she didn't wear my size, so the ones I needed were still on the rack. Lula and I were in adjacent fitting rooms. Connie sat outside and waited for the parade to begin. I tried on the first suit. It was white. It had metal rings on the hips and the top was a halter. My arms and legs were tan, but my torso was creamy white.

I stepped out of the fitting room and stood in front of Connie. Her eyes practically bugged out of her head. "No," she said flatly.

Lula stepped out of her room wearing a bright pink number that hugged her body and her fat rolls jiggled. She took one look at me and burst out laughing.

"You're belly looks like a spotlight!"

"Yeah, well you don't look so hot yourself!" I shot back.

"What are you talking about? I think this looks great on me! Look at my ass, it's the bomb!"

_More like a bomb shelter, _I thought to myself. I turned to Connie. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd either wear a tankini or a one piece. Just tell him that Morelli didn't want you traipsing around in a bikini."

I sighed deeply.

"Go try on the others, and I'll go look on the rack for a nice one piece."

I tried on the others, but I wasn't happy about any of them. Connie returned with three suits. I tried on the first. It was a simple white suit. It was low cut in the front and high cut on the legs. It was actually pretty elegant. It sorta reminded me of my wedding dress. The second suit was black. It was strapless and had a gold V-shaped metal clip at the bust line which kept the breasts from sagging. The last one I didn't particularly care for—probably because it was pink. Of, course, Lula loved it.

I decided on the white bathing suit, and Lula decided she would wait till spring before buying a suit. "No use buying a suit I won't be able to fit into when I lose fifteen pounds after the holidays," she declared.

We went to Cluck-in-a bucket and ate. The problem was it was close to dinner, and I was supposed to cook. I didn't want to eat another meal, and it seemed pointless to cook for Joe if I wasn't going to eat. I decided to buy a meal "to go" for him.

By the time I dropped the girls off and headed for home, it was already five thirty. My phone rang as I pulled away from the office. It was Joe. He sent me a text. "I'm home. Where are you?" It said.

I went straight home. Joe was lounging on the couch with a beer watching the sports channel football update.

"Hey, gorgeous. Where you been?"

I sat in his lap and placed my arms around his neck. "I was out with Connie and Lula at the mall."

He draped his arms around me. "I smell chicken."

"We ate at Cluck-in-A-Bucket. I brought you some."

"Good because I'm starving."

"Well, you can't have any until I get a kiss."

Joe leaned to my lips and gave me a sweet peck.

"No, a real kiss."

"Cupcake, you know if I kiss you like that, I'll want to eat you instead of the chicken."

"I don't know why you'd want me at all. I tried on bathing suits today and I was mortified."

He creased his eyebrows. "Why were you trying on bathing suits?"

"Well, I saw Ranger today. You know he's leaving for Miami the day after tomorrow."

"I heard he was expanding the business."

"Uh huh. He said he wanted to take me to the beach as a last hurrah."

Creases appeared in his forehead. "What the hell are you talking about?"

I smiled weakly. "Ranger's going to fly me in a private plane to Florida for the day. We're going to hang out on the beach."

"Whoa!" He pushed me off of his lap. "Are you out of your friggin' mind? No!"

I tried to get back in his lap, but he stood up and loomed over me.

"It's just for the day!" I said in my defense.

"NO!"

"Joe, come on. You're not being fair!"

"Stephanie, this is not open for discussion. There is no fucking way in hell I am going to let my wife get on a plane bound for Miami with Carlos Manoso!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" I barked back at him.

"The hell I can't. You are not leaving this house tomorrow."

"What are you gonna do, lock me in?"

He threw his hands in the air. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because he's my friend…"

"Lover!" Joe screamed.

"Past tense!" I screamed back. "Honestly, I didn't think you would react like this. I _thought _you trusted me!"

"Are you going to stand there and tell me that you have no physical urges when you are around him?—because I sure as shit know he has them when he's around you!"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Uh huh! See? I was right. You are not going."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed."

"You know if I said I was flying off with Joyce Barnhardt, you'd flip out, too."

"Joyce Barnhardt is nothing but a whore!" I snapped. "Are you calling me a whore?"

"If the shoe fits, baby."

"Fuck you," I growled. I grabbed my purse, my keys, and my new swimsuit.

"Where do you think you're going?" Joe asked.

"To get laid." I stormed out of the house.


	37. Chapter 37

**I want you all to know that I have had a wonderful time on my vacation, but unfortunately I have to go home tomorrow. I'm not sure I could get any tanner that I am right now. Seven of us came on this vacation, and I can tell you, without a doubt, that I spent more time on the beach than EVERYONE else put together. I'm not much for going deep in the water, but I took long walks, jogged a couple of miles, found a TON of shells, and read two books (one of them being Explosive Eighteen). So keep in mind that in my story, Stephanie and Ranger never spent time in Hawaii together. I hope you enjoy the chapter. As always, I look forward to gearing your feeback.**

TRUST

I marched to the car, angled my way in, and slammed the door behind me. Joe came out of the house as I shoved the key into the ignition.

"Come on, Stephanie. Get out of the car."

"Are you going to let me go with Ranger tomorrow?"

"Fuck, no!"

I turned the key, slammed it into reverse and backed down the driveway. I drove blindly; the tears had burst onto my cheeks. "Jerk!" I said aloud to myself. I needed to figure out where I was going to go. I wasn't going to Ranger's. If I put myself in a vulnerable position right now, there was a chance that I might slip up and actually sleep with him, and that's that _last_ thing I wanted to do. I couldn't go to my mother's or Val's. They'd just take his side. _Why couldn't he just trust me?_ Before I knew it, I found myself driving toward my old apartment. Mattie. He'd let me in.

I pulled up to the apartment, and his car was in the lot. My emotions were high. I wanted to do this thing with Ranger, and I didn't want Joe to tell me I couldn't. I knocked on the door. As soon as Mattie opened the door, I flung myself at him.

"Oh Mattie, I need you!" I blurted out. I expected him to wrap his arms around me, and when he didn't, I opened my eyes. That's when I saw Joanna. Her jaw had dropped open, and she looked livid. I pushed myself away from Mattie. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company."

"Stephanie, what's wrong?"

"I should go," Joanna said, grabbing her coat off the couch."

"No! I didn't mean to interrupt anything between you two."

"It's okay, Steph. She was just here to talk about the kids."

"Oh, well, that's important."

"Yes, it is, but so is seeing my newly married friend at my door with tears in her eyes. Come in, will you?"

I stepped inside the apartment. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure."

I shot a quick look at Joanna and bolted across the room. While I was in the bathroom, I could hear them talking. It was hard to tell if they were being cordial or arguing. Neither raised their voice. I sat on the toilet because I didn't want to disturb them. Finally, Mateo knocked on the door.

"Stephanie, you can come out now. She's gone."

I opened the door. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"She just came over here to inform me that she was seeing someone, and she didn't want me to hear it from the kids."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I told her I've been seeing someone, too. I told her that the kids don't know because I haven't let it be known to them. Then you showed up at the door. She thought the girl I've been seeing was you."

"Oh my God! I hope you set her straight."

"I did." He paused. "So, what's got you all upset?"

"I'm upset because Joe and I have been wonderful these past two weeks and now, all of sudden, he's pissed off because I want to spend a day with Ranger before he leaves for Miami, possibly for good."

"Well, it's not as if you and Ranger don't have a history together," Mattie replied.

"It's not as if you and I don't have a history together," I reminded him.

"It's different. How is it different? I've slept with both of you."

"If I poured on the charm, would you sleep with me?"

"No! Of course not! You and I are very good friends."

"Would you sleep with Ranger?"

"No!" I meant it. "I am just pissed that Joe thinks that I could fall prey to Ranger."

"Maybe if you hung out with him and someone else, then Morelli wouldn't see it as an opportunity for Ranger to work his magic."

"True. I just don't know how big the plane is."

"Plane? What plane?"

"He wants to fly me to Florida for the day and take me to the beach."

"You can't be serious."

"Well, I am."

"Oh."

"What do you mean, _oh_?"

"Don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"I think it wasn't my idea. And I think I trust Ranger not to overstep his boundaries. And I think that my husband should know that I love him enough not to cheat on him."

My phone started to ring. It was Ranger.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because your husband is here, and he's accusing me of hiding you in my building. Why would he do that, Stephanie?"

"Why don't you ask him? And while we are on the subject, you know where I am. Ask Tank. He can tell you exactly where I am."

"Babe."

"Tell my husband that if he can't trust me, then I don't want to come home."

"I'm sending him to you. You tell him. Call me in the morning."

I hung up the phone and drew in a deep breath. "He's coming."

"Ranger?"

"No, Joe."

"That's good."

"No, it's not! I don't want to fight with him on this."

"Maybe you are using the wrong approach. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

"I started out sweet, and he exploded." I turned to the door. "I'm going home. When he gets here, tell him I'll do what he wants, but I hate him right now."

I drove home. I was angry. I stomped into the house, changed out of my clothes into my nightgown and climbed into the bed in the spare room. It was a half hour later when I finally heard the front door close. I was still angry. I knew he was going to confront me, and I was ready for a fight. I heard him call out to Bob asking him if he wanted to go out. I heard the back door open and close. A few minutes later, I heard the back door open and close again. A minute after that, I heard footsteps on the stairs. He went into our room first. "Shit." I heard him mumble. I had left the door to the room I was in ajar. He slowly pushed it open, but he didn't enter.

"Stephanie?"

"Go away," I said quietly.

"You want to go to Florida with Ranger, then, go head." With that, he walked away.

_Shit, now what do I do?_ I lay in the bed debating if I should just stay there, or if I should go and kiss his ass for caving in. I mean, he didn't ask me to come to bed. _Damn it! _I slipped out of the bed and walked silently to our room. The lights were out, but the moon was shining bright and lit the room enough for me to see Joe lying in the bed with his arm draped over his eyes. Bob jumped off the bed and greeted me at the door. I pet the top of his head, and he wagged his tail. I leaned against the door jam.

"Nothing's going to happen," I said, breaking the silence.

"If it does, you had better marry him because I'll be divorcing you."

"Joseph, don't you trust me?"

"I used to until I found out you've been fucking Ranger probably as long as you've been fucking me."

"While I'll admit that there were times when you and I fucked, I thought there were more times when we made love—and for the record, we weren't exclusive then."

"_You _weren't exclusive."

"Joe, I _married_ you."

He pulled his arm from his face and looked directly at me. "Then why do you need him?"

"Why does anyone need friends?"

He sighed and rolled with his back to me. I crossed the room and sat on my side of the bed. "I love you."

He spoke with his back to me. "Do you love Ranger?"

"Yes, but differently."

Now he turned and faced me. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I never want to have a day in my life where I wish that I could talk to Carlos and realize that I can't. I'd never want a day to go by where I couldn't depend on him if I needed him to protect me or my family, and I wouldn't want to disappoint him if he needed me." I paused. "Do you want to know how I finally realized that it was you that I couldn't live without?"

"That's easy. It was when you found out you were pregnant with my baby," he said coldly.

I did a mental eye roll. At least, he wasn't denying that the baby was his. "No. I had spent the night with Carlos, and as he got up to leave, he said, 'I want you to break it off with Morelli.' I swear to God, my heart stopped. I knew what he was alluding to, and I knew at that moment that there was no way in hell that I could ever break it off with you." I felt the lump rise up in my throat. "You know what sucks?"

"What?"

"That was the day you broke up with me." My voice cracked at the end of the sentence. I was about to break down, but I continued speaking. "Carlos actually thought that he had me. Then he found out that I was devastated." I curled up on the bed and faced him. "I wish you would just trust me. I won't hurt you, I swear."

"I'm hurting now."

A tear slipped from my eye and rolled past the bridge of my nose and across the opposite cheek to the bed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to."

Joe reached out and pulled me closer to him. I buried my head in his chest. He kissed the top of my head and sighed. We lay in silence for several minutes before Joe's hand slid down the length of my torso.

"Take off your nightgown," he ordered.

I did as he requested. As I lay back down, Joe hovered over me and enveloped my lips in his. I was happy to have him want me. I stroked his clean shaven face as we kissed. He used his free hand to caress my breasts. Before long, his hand traveled over my baby bump and between my legs. He touched me in just the right spot, and I felt the heat course through my body. I wanted to open my legs, but I didn't. Instead, I let him force his fingers between my labia, and he stroked me searching for the entrance to my vagina. The rhythmic caressing of my clit made my whole body tingle. I hummed my appreciation. Joe lips left mine, and he moved to the nape of my neck. When his lips caressed my sensitive spot just below my ears, I moaned and spread my legs, inviting him in. I reached for his penis and stroked it. He was already hard. He left my neck and continued his journey to my breasts as he pushed his middle finger into me. My body arched with delight. I wanted him to mount me. I licked my lips to keep from begging. Instead, I yanked on his dick in an effort to give him the message that I wanted him to jump on. He understood and slowly slid his body over mine. Before he penetrated me, he asked, "Do you love me?"

I answered truthfully, "With all my heart."

I felt at one with him as he pushed his way deep inside of me. The moonlight was shining on his face, and he was beautiful. We enjoyed each other for a long time, and I began to worry that Joe was holding back. Suddenly, he pulled out and said, "Roll over. Get on your knees."

I didn't argue because I wanted him to come. I thought perhaps he had been going at it for too long, and a different position might be the answer. I flipped over, and he came up behind me. He grabbed a hold of my waist, so he could control me. He was deeper now, and it felt good. I knew I wasn't going to climax; I only hoped that he would.

Suddenly, I heard a buzzing sound. "What the hell is that?" I muttered in between the thrusts. Joe reached between my legs, and he touched my clit with a vibrator…at least that's what I assumed it was. The sudden sensation on my sensitive clit drove me to insanity. It took less than a minute before I had the-most-fantastic-orgasm-EVER! My whole body tightened up.

"Yeah, that's it," he growled like a big cat. My vagina had tightened up, and he was loving it. He began to pump me hard, and I saw stars. He was so fucking tight! I was groaning with each thrust. A minute later, his body jerked and he squeezed my hips as he released his fury.

Joe collapsed on the bed next to me. I rolled to my side and faced him.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

He flashed a shit eaten grin. "It's called a bullet."

"Where did you get it?"

"There was a murder in the apartments above that sex shop, The Magic Touch. I figured what the hell? I went in and looked around. The girl at the counter was very helpful. I told her that my wife was pregnant, and I wanted to make sure I kept her happy. She told me a few things about a woman's body that even I didn't know."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one thing, she said you'd come within sixty seconds if I used that on you, and she was right."

"Maybe I don't want to come in sixty seconds."

"Fine, I'll toss it in the trash."

"Where is it?"

Joe rolled over and picked it up off the nightstand. He turned on the light as I examined it.

"It's got three speeds," he pointed out. I held it in my hand and turned it to low, then medium, then high. It hummed and rolled around in my hand. I didn't say anything. I turned it off, opened the drawer to my nightstand, and dropped it in. I rolled back to Joe.

"So, you like it?" he asked.

"Yes, I like it, and I love you." He kissed me and then lay on his back. I nestled into the crook of his shoulder and caressed the hair on his flat stomach.

"What time do you leave in the morning?"

"I don't know. I'm not even sure we are still going. Ranger sounded perturbed that you went to him and accused him of hiding me."

"Well, what the hell was I supposed to think? You said you were going to get laid."

"I went to Mattie's."

Joe lifted his head to look at me. "To get laid?"

"No! Silly! I needed a friend."

"I thought Ranger is a friend."

"He is, but the fight was because of him. I didn't want to drag him into your jealous insecurities. You managed to do that all by yourself."

Joe flipped over and came face to face with me.

"Look, I'll be jealous of any man who looks at you the way I do probably until the day I die. Just—please—don't give me a reason to leave you."

"I won't. Scouts honor." I held up three fingers.

He took my hand and gently kissed those three fingers before continuing. "You promise that eleven o'clock tomorrow night you'll be lying right here with me?"

"I promise." I paused as he caressed my hand. "You promise that you'll use that bullet thing on me again?"

Joe grinned. "Deal."

It was still dark when my phone rang. I reached blindly for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you up for the beach today?"

"Sure," I said, still half asleep.

"I'll pick you up at six."

"What time is it now?"

No answer. He had disconnected. I rolled over and laid my head on Joe's chest. I peeked over at his side of the bed where the clock sat on his nightstand. It was five thirty. The conversation suddenly registered in my head.

"Six o'clock! Shit! I have to get up!"

I tried to get out of the bed, but Joe grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back. "Maybe I should call in sick and stay here and make love to you all day."

"You know what? I would love it if you did that, but not because you were afraid I was going to sleep with Carlos." I leaned forward and kissed him. He released my arm. I jumped up and got into the shower. I dressed quickly in jeans and a sweater. It may be sunny and eighty degrees in Miami but it was cold, dark, and dismal here in Trenton. Joe got up as I was packing my bag.

"That's an awful lot of clothes for one day," he commented.

"I want to be prepared, just in case."

"Just in case you decide to run away?"

I ignored his comment. I was not about to get into a fight with him this morning. I pulled the bathing suit from the shopping bag, so I could cut the tags off.

"What's that?" Joe asked.

"A new bathing suit."

He pulled it out of my hand and held it up to inspect.

"It's a one-piece," I declared.

"I see. What was wrong with your other suits?"

"They are too small. In case you haven't noticed, Junior is getting bigger."

He placed his hand on my burgeoning baby bump. "I can't wait to see my little princess."

"How do you know it's going to be a girl?"

"Too many Morelli boys running around. We need a Morelli girl."

"You just have a thing for little girls," I pointed out.

"Maybe I do. You know we never talked about names."

"That's because I already have the names picked out."

"Oh, you do, huh?"

"Yep. If it's a boy, I'm naming him Stephen—after me."

"And what if it's a girl?"

"I'm naming her after you."

"Joseph?"

"Joey."

"A girl named Joey?"

I smiled. "Yep."

"Joey Morelli."

"It's cute, right?"

"Like you." He pulled me to him and kissed me passionately. "I'll be thinking about you."

"I'll be thinking about you, too," I reciprocated.

"Liar."

I smacked him playfully. "I will!"

The ringtone on my phone began to play. It was "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars. I put it on my phone the day I got back from my honeymoon because I had no reason to get out of bed anymore since I had no job. It was a dig at Joe for making me quit my job. I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"We don't have all day."

"I'm coming. Are you here?"

"Babe."

I hung up.

"Your chariot awaits?" Joe surmised.

"Yeah. Walk me down?"

Joe grabbed my overnight bag and followed me downstairs. I grabbed my coat and slipped it on as did Joe. At the bottom of the porch steps, I turned to Joe, and he placed the bag on the bottom step. He turned to me and zipped up my coat.

"Now remember, Cinderella, your fantasy ends at eleven o'clock."

"I'll remember."

He tugged on the collar of my jacket and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that made me ponder whether I should just say, "the hell with it," and climb back into bed with him. As he pulled away, I mumbled, "Wow! I won't forget that kiss."

"Good," he replied.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for letting me do this."

He shot me a weak smile. "I love you, cupcake."

"I love you, too."

He picked up the bag, and I followed him to the car. The passenger side door was ajar when I got to the car. I suddenly realized that I didn't have my phone.

"My phone!" I said in a panic. "I left it plugged in, in the kitchen."

"I'll get it."

Joe hustled into the house and returned a minute later with the phone. I was still standing outside the car because I wanted to kiss him one more time to reassure him that I loved him. He handed me the phone. "Call me, okay?"

"Why do you think I wanted the phone?" I kissed Joe one more time. "I'll see you tonight." I angled my way into the passenger seat, and Joe shut the door. I waved to him as Ranger backed out of the driveway.

He didn't speak. I wondered what was going on in his head. I was hoping that he wasn't entertaining the idea of taking me to some South American country with the intentions of making me his concubine. The more I thought about it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded…or did it?

I decided I needed to lay down the rules, but I didn't just want to blurt it out like I had been under orders from Joe to do so. I needed a segue. Then it hit me.

"Joe and I talked about names for the baby."

He didn't answer.

"We are picking out names for both a boy and a girl because I don't want to know the sex until he or she is born."

"That's rather old fashioned, isn't it?" he replied.

"I'm an old fashioned kind of girl," I said in a syrupy sweet voice.

He glanced over at me. "Babe, there's nothing old fashioned about you."

"I know I want to be Mrs. Morelli till I take my last breath on this earth," I said boldly.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

I paused, and then my mouth went into overdrive. "It's just that I didn't want you to think that I was going on this trip, so you could have your way with me. We are friends now, nothing more."

The corners of Ranger's lips turned up into a smile. He reached across the console and caressed my cheek.

"Although I would relish having my way with you, I have no intentions of breaching the vows you have set with Morelli."

"But yesterday—you crossed a boundary when you touched me inappropriately."

"True, and although I'm not proud of my behavior, I don't regret it. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Thank you."

"Still friends, right?"

"Right," I said cheerfully.

We arrived at Teeterboro Airport a little after seven. Teeterboro was a small airport in Bergen County just outside of New York City that catered to privately owned jets and planes, many of which were owned by the rich and famous. Ranger carried both of our bags as he led me to a terminal at the far left of the buildings. He bade me to take a seat while he took care of business.

Five minutes later, Ranger took a seat next to me. "The pilot is finishing up a few things and will bring the plane around in a few minutes."

"I didn't know you owned an airplane."

"Technically, it's a jet, but it's not mine. It belongs to a client of mine. He lets me use it in exchange for services rendered."

A man appeared at the door located on the far side of the room. He was wearing a turban, and he was sporting a beard.

"Your jet is ready. Allow me to escort you." He immediately picked my bag up off the floor. Ranger handed his duffle bag to the man, who slung it over his shoulder. He summoned us to follow him. We exited through the same door that he had entered, and we walked across the tarmac to a small jet that had stairs leading up to it. Ranger encouraged me to go before him. I was in awe as I entered the jet. There were only eight seats; plush black leather chairs facing each other in two rows of four. They created a conversation pit in which parties could discuss business or pleasure. There were two large flat screen TVs hanging back to back from the ceiling. There was a laptop sitting on the coffee table located in the center of the seating area.

Ranger led me to the seats. "I'll be right back. I want to talk to the pilot."

I felt anxious. I was in a jet with my ex-lover headed to Miami for a day of sun and surf. Who the hell was I kidding? My anxiety turned to fear. When Ranger returned, I jumped out of my seat and picked up my bag. "I'm sorry. I can't do this," I blurted out.

"Why not?" he asked as he deliberately blocked my exit.

"I feel sleazy."

He drew in a deep breath. "Babe, if you don't want to do this, then I suggest you get off the plane now. You can take my car back to Trenton." With that, he stepped aside, allowing me to pass.

I took one step and stopped. "What about you?"

"I'm going to Miami. I can always send form my things."

"Do you hate me?"

He locked his jaw and folded his arms over his chest. His eyes were dark and serious. Finally, he spoke, "No, but I am disappointed. This was originally your idea."

"My idea?"

"You said you wished we could hang out at the beach."

_Did I say that? I don't remember saying that._

"Okay—I'll go."

"Babe, you don't have to."

I tried to rationalize everything. He said he wasn't expecting anything except companionship. After today, I wouldn't see him until…

"You'll get me home by eleven o'clock tonight?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Babe."

"Well I need to know!" My voice was shriller than I wanted it to be.

"I'll do my best."

"I promised Joe. I don't want to go back on my promise."

His eyes grew bright. "I wouldn't want you to break your promise."

I smiled. "Let's go have some fun!"

I found the flight to be quite exciting. I got to sit near the window, and instead of soda and peanuts, we were served unsweet iced tea with lemon, which Ranger knew was my drink of choice, and little chicken finger sandwiches. Ranger worked on the laptop. I watched a bit of "Dirty Dancing" on the TV. I thought it odd that Johnny Castle was considered a mysterious guy, and here I was with Ranger, a man who was able to pull a private jet out of thin air at a moment's notice. Talk about mysterious.

Ranger looked up from his computer. "It's sunny in Miami and forecast to be in the mid-eighties."

"Shit!" I blurted out.

"What? You don't like sunshine?"

"I forgot my suntan lotion."

Ranger couldn't suppress his smile. "Don't worry. I won't let you burn."

"You're flirting."

"You said I couldn't touch. You never said I couldn't flirt."

I rolled my eyes. Deep inside I was happy if not still a little nervous.

The plane landed, and I had no idea where we were. All I knew was Ranger had arranged for a limo.

"I got us a room, so you would have a place to change and shower."

"A room." I didn't know what else to say. A room meant a bed and being anywhere near a bed with Carlos Manoso spelled trouble.

"I didn't want you to think that I had some ulterior motive. I'm just trying to make you comfortable. Considering you're pregnant, I thought you might need a nap before dinner."

"I sleep alone," I reminded him.

"I sleep in the raw," he joked. Only it wasn't a joke.

"You're impossible!" I ranted.

"On the contrary, I think I'm being rather easy."

Oh boy.

"So," he said, changing the subject. "Did you enjoy Jamaica?"

I thought about Joe and the intimate moments we had on our honeymoon. I wished, at that moment, that I could turn back the clock and do it again. I was lost in thought.

"You were thinking about Morelli, weren't you?"

I focused on Carlos. "I was."

"I guess you had a good time then. Would you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Try to enjoy yourself today. Soon, you won't have the time to just relax and enjoy yourself."

I thought about what he said and realized that I had been rather evil all morning. I knew it was because of the guilt I felt being here with him—without my husband.

I took Ranger's hand in mine. "I think the limo was a nice touch."

He patted my hand with his free hand. "I think we should eat breakfast when we get to the hotel."

"Good idea. I'm starving."

The limo pulled up to the Marriott Hotel, and we got out. Ranger checked us in, and the bell hop escorted us to our room. We entered a small living room furnished with a faux leather couch, a desk, and an entertainment center with a mini-bar. The next room was the bedroom. It contained a single queen sized bed. The bathroom was situated between the two rooms. It was nice suite, not grand, but more than adequate.

I changed in to my suit. I put my shorts and shirt over it, so we could go eat. Ranger changed into khaki shorts and a charcoal grey shirt that was just tight enough to show the muscles in his abs. He was wearing brown leather sandals that resembled a flip flop.

I giggled when he came out.

"What?" he looked confused.

"I never expected you to wear khakis."

"Ella thought I should branch out with my personal wardrobe."

"Well, you look—normal."

"I can change if you want."

"No. no! But please tell me you have Raybans."

The brilliant smile that Ranger always kept at bay lit up his face. He reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of mirrored sunglasses.

I clapped my hands together. "I knew it!"

He placed the sunglasses on his head. He looked like a damn movie star.

"Come on, gorgeous." He held the door open for me and offered me his arm as we exited the elevator, which I graciously took.

The restaurant was on the first floor and faced the ocean. Since I was with Ranger, I tried to eat sensibly. I knew Ranger wouldn't go for the meat eaters' breakfast platter. Since it was almost eleven, he ordered brunch: fresh fruit and chicken salad on whole wheat toast with decaf coffee. I ordered the same, but I asked for a sesame seed bagel instead of wheat toast. Bagels are good, right? It was too hot for coffee, so I got unsweet tea with lemon.

At first, Ranger made small talk. Then he was quiet. He looked pensive.

"You look like something is bothering you."

He popped a piece of melon into his mouth and chewed slowly. He was obviously weighing whether or not he wanted to broach the subject. I thought for sure he was going to ask me something about where we stood as far as our relationship was concerned, which was stupid because I had made it clear that we were friends and nothing more. I bit my lower lip.

Finally, he spoke. "Tank tells me that you offered to help him out until he finds a replacement for Rodriquez."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah."

"You know, he's very excited about you working for him."

"And?"

"And I'm afraid that he won't try very hard to replace you."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I wouldn't try very hard if I were him."

"That's because you like to look at me."

"While that's true, the point is I'd have someone I trust and love working for me, and I'd know you were safe."

"Sounds like a good deal to me," I quipped.

"Only I'd be here in Miami."

"Sorry," I said sincerely.

He shot me a stern look. "And your husband is in agreement?"

The enthusiasm left my face.

"That's what I thought."

"Carlos, it's only a few weeks, tops."

"I need to hear it from Morelli."

"That's not fair! If I was some girl off the streets, you wouldn't question if my husband approved. As a matter of fact, it's against the law to ask those kinds of questions."

"You're not some woman off the street. You are someone with whom I have a past. You're husband is jealous of me and rightly so."

"You won't even be there! You'll be here in Miami!" I blurted out.

"Babe."

I realized that I had spoken rather loudly, and we were in a restaurant. I shot him the look of frustration.

"Stephanie, I would love to have you join my team, but under the circumstances, I need to hear from Morelli that he is okay with this."

I leaned forward in my chair and spoke in a low voice. "You didn't need his okay to put me on a plane and bring me here."

"That was my error, and he ended up in my face accusing me of hiding you in my building. I won't make that mistake again."

"Fine! I'll talk to him about it tonight, and I'll have him call you," I replied with just a bit of ire in my voice.

"Thank you." He wiped his lips with a napkin. "Now, are you ready to spend the day on the beach?"

I was looking past him at a couple carrying masks and snorkels. "Can we do that?"

"Do what?"

"That." I pointed to the couple. "Snorkel."

"Sure. There are shops all up and down the strip. I'm sure they sell snorkeling gear."

We went back up to the room, so Ranger could change into his suit. I took the opportunity to call Joe. He answered quickly.

"Hi, sweetheart. How's the beach?"

"We haven't actually gotten there yet. We just finished eating breakfast, and Ranger is in the bathroom changing into his suit. Then we are going to see if we can buy some masks and snorkels."

"Try not to overdo it. Remember, you are pregnant."

"I'll be fine."

There was an uneasy silence on the phone. "I miss you," I finally said in an effort to ease the tension.

"I miss you, too. I'm putting a lot of faith in you."

"I know. I'll see you tonight."

He hung up before I could say I love you. I considered calling him back, but Ranger emerged from the bathroom. We packed a bag for the beach, and Ranger slung it over his shoulder. As we stepped off the elevator, Ranger took my hand in his. We looked like the happy couple…too happy. As luck would have it, we stepped out of the hotel, and we ran smack into none other than Terry Gilman. She was with a relative who I recognized but couldn't place the name.

"Stephanie Morelli and Carlos Manoso together at last in Miami. I was wondering how long it would be before you and Joe hit the skids. Even I couldn't have imagined it would be this soon."

"It's not what you think," I said defensively.

She laughed. "Right. Well, you have fun. At least he can't knock you up!" She laughed again, and they continued on their way.

"Terry!" I called out.

Ranger tugged on my hand. "Forget it."

I looked back at her, and she had her phone to her ear. I just knew this would be bad…very bad.


	38. Chapter 38

**I'm sorry. I know you all thought I forgot about you. I didn't. I have just been consumed by FTLOB, book 2. I am so close to the release date now. I am literally holding my breath. I finally sat down this week and hammered out this chapter. It took a bit of research on my part.**

**Anyway, with this story, I have found that I am often walking a fine line between my Ranger fans and my Morelli fans. I don't want to make Stephanie a tramp, but I know from personal experience that it is possible to love more than one man at once. Even though you make a conscious choice to devote your life to one man, the other never really leaves your head. You think about him every day. It leaves you with a myriad of emotions and feelings…and it's even worse if you can't even talk to him.**

**So, please, don't judge Stephanie…**

**She leads with her heart.**

MIAMI

"But she's probably telling the whole world that I split up with Joe!" I said in a panic.

"There's nothing you can do about that right now. Don't let it ruin your day. Deal with it later." Ranger tugged me along the sidewalk and pointed to a store up ahead. "I'm sure we can get what we are looking for in there."

We entered the shop, and it was a tourist's heaven. They had everything one could hope for in souvenirs. Ranger pulled me through a row that contained sculptures of every sea creature imaginable from pelicans to manatees to mermaids. They ranged in sizes from a few inches to a few feet in height.

"Oooo," I cooed as I slowed down to get a better look.

Ranger dragged me along.

"Hey!" I whined.

"I thought you wanted to go snorkeling?"

"I do but…"

Ranger stopped. "We can spend the day shopping for trinkets, or we can spend the day at the beach. Your call." He seemed almost annoyed. I just couldn't tell if he was annoyed at my wanting to shop or to my reaction to when Terry saw us.

"No, I want to snorkel."

He still wasn't smiling. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"I'm sure!"

"There's a sign back there. It says, 'Dive Equipment.' Do you want to come with me or wait here?"

I looked at the sculpture of the dolphins. I tried to imagine it in my home in the Berg. Suddenly, Bob came into the daydream, and he was chewing on the ornately carved wood.

"I'll come with you."

Ranger continued on his way with me in tow. There was a glass counter displaying lots of different types of dive equipment including wet suits and spear guns. The Coconut Dive Shop apparently rented out space here. How Ranger knew this was beyond me. He chose a couple of expensive looking masks and snorkels. He also picked up two sets of neon fins, pink for me and yellow for him. He paid the man and shoved everything except the fins into his beach bag. He began to talk to the man about snorkeling in the area, and I drifted down an aisle that had assorted beachwear including hats. I began trying on the hats. Ten minutes later, I was the proud owner of a lovely woven hat with a floppy brim, and Ranger was standing behind me patiently waiting. He ushered me out of the store, and we were once again on our way to the beach, or so I thought. No sooner had we reached the hotel when the limousine that Ranger had obviously rented for the day pulled up.

Ranger pulled the door open. "Get in."

"Where are we going?"

"Snorkeling."

"But the beach is right there."

"True, but the boat is a few miles from here."

"Boat?"

"Technically, it's a catamaran."

"Carlos, you're crazy!"

"You wanted to go snorkeling. The guy at the dive shop said he has a partner who owns a catamaran, and he takes private parties out to the reef."

I stepped into the car, and we were off to see a man named Ryan. Ryan looked like he lived on the beach. He was dark haired and so brown, he looked homeless. There was an ATM machine at the marina where Ryan kept his catamaran. Ranger took out a sum of money and paid the guy in cash. Ten minutes later, we were on our way. I had to admit, snorkeling with Ranger was a lot of fun. The reef was teeming with life. Ryan pulled out a chart that listed the different fishes found on the reef, and he pointed out some of the more common ones. We saw angelfish, puffer fish, and rock lobsters. I even saw a spotted leopard ray. Ranger held my hand as he pointed out some of the things he saw. He was a very strong swimmer. I attributed it to his time in the Special Forces. We spent more than two hours in and on the water with Ryan before he headed back to shore. On the way back, the waves got a little rough, and I started to feel a little queasy.

"Babe, you all right?"

"Yeah, why?"

He reached out and caressed my face. "You look a little green around the gills."

"I guess I'll be glad to get my feet on solid beach again."

"Did you not have fun?"

"No, yeah. I had a blast."

"Is that a new thing?"

I creased my eyebrows. "What?"

"No, yeah."

"Huh?"

"You said no; then you said yeah as if you changed your mind."

I snuggled into his shoulder. "I had fun."

"Good. Do you want to hit the beach or would you rather take a nap?"

"I only have one day with you. I don't want to waist it sleeping."

Ranger leaned his head toward me and whispered, "We don't have to sleep."

I held up my left hand. "Married, remember?"

"If only I could forget."

I lifted my head from where it rested on his bicep. "I came here to hang with my good friend at the beach and prove to my husband that he can trust me with that friend, even though we have a history."

"The jury is still out on whether he is a very stupid man or incredibly secure in your relationship."

"Well, it's up to me on whether I cheat—and I have made a conscious choice not to."

Ranger smiled at me. "If you ever change your mind, I'd like to be the first to know."

I placed my hand on his. "If I ever change my mind."

Once we got to shore, the limo was waiting for us. I slid into my comfortable soft leather seat and picked up my phone that I had left in the vehicle.

"Oh crap!"

"What's the matter?"

"I have three missed phone calls from Joe, and he left me a text message."

"So?"

"He hates to text."

"What does it say?"

"It says, 'I trusted you.' I knew Terri Gilman would screw me over. She was probably calling him when she walked away."

"Let me have the phone."

"Why?"

"Babe."

I handed him the phone, and he dropped it into the beach bag.

"Hey!"

"What are you going to do, call him? And then what? He's going to start an argument with you over a rumor? Enjoy your day and deal with him later."

"How am I supposed to enjoy my day if I know he's imagining all kinds of things?"

"I could make it so the things he is imagining are true."

I shot him a dirty look. "Carlos."

"I knew I should have made you leave it at the hotel." He reluctantly handed me the bag. I rummaged through it until I found my phone. The limo pulled up to the hotel. Ranger opened the door. I'll be waiting in the lounge. Don't take all day—please."

I dialed Joe's number and waited for the explosion.

"Stephanie?"

"Hi," I said meekly.

"What the fuck is going on down there?"

"Nothing!"

"Fucking Terri Gilman has blabbed to half of the Burg that you left me and are shacking up in Miami with Ranger."

_Oh boy. _I decided the best way to handle this was with calmness and logic. "You know I didn't leave you, and you know that I am here for the day with Ranger, so I don't understand why anything that Terri Gilman says should rattle you."

"She said you were holding hands, and that you looked pretty damn happy."

"Big deal. He held my hand. I was happy. I'm in Miami. Am I supposed to look sad?"

"Yes—no—I don't know. What am I supposed to think?"

"You're supposed to think that your wife loves you, and she will be home before her carriage turns into a pumpkin at eleven o'clock. As for Terri Gilman, tell her to go sit on a pole and rotate."

"By pole, you don't mean mine, right?"

"You keep your pole to yourself, and I'll be home tonight."

"And what am I supposed to tell the people who keep calling me?"

"Tell them that I am spending time with a good friend before he leaves the Burg for an extended stay in Florida. Tell them that you trust your wife."

Joe didn't respond.

"You trust me, don't you?"

"I want to trust you, Steph."

"I promise you this body is one hundred percent Morelli property."

"I hope so." He still sounded worried.

"Keep in mind that Terri Gilman would love the chance to destroy our marriage, so she can make a move on you."

"Cupcake, you are the only one I want."

"Good. When I get home, I'll show you just how much I want you."

"Oh yeah? What have you got in mind?"

"What would you like?"

"Hmmm, I wouldn't mind seeing you in a garter belt and stockings on your knees showing your appreciation for me allowing you to take off with Ranger today."

"Are you asking or demanding?"

"Cupcake, I would never force you to do something you didn't want to do."

"I'm smiling."

"Me, too. Sweetheart, I have to go. I am being summoned. I'll see you tonight."

"I love you."

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." He disconnected before I could say anything more.

I secured my phone and took a deep breath. _Fucking Terri Gilman._ I exited the limo and found Ranger sitting in the lounge talking on the phone. He saw me approaching and hung up. He rose to his feet.

"Damage control complete?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm ready to relax in the sun."

Ranger picked up the beach bag and led me out the back door of the hotel toward the beach.

He stopped at the woman who was renting beach chairs and umbrellas and snagged a chair for each of us, plus an umbrella. He handed me the beach bag and the umbrella, and then he hoisted the chairs above his head. I followed him as he carefully picked his way through the sand looking for what I guess he deemed to be the perfect spot. The one thing about a beach, there's no wall to back up against. I wondered if Ranger felt vulnerable. Come to think of it, I wondered if he was carrying a gun in his beach bag.

He chose a spot close to the water where the sand is less deep, less hot, and more velvety. He flipped the chairs from over his head to the ground, pulling them apart and setting the second next to the first. A minute later, the umbrella was in place.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Depends."

"Are you carrying a gun?"

He raised his arms and pulled the T-shirt he had been wearing over his head and tossed it in the chair, revealing the perfect six-pack in the shade of mocha. "Do I look like I'm carrying a gun?"

We had both worn our T-shirts when we were snorkeling, and this was the first time today that I had seen him without his shirt. I had to remind myself that I had been in close contact with that body, but I'd chosen the Italian stallion. I smiled at the sight. It was just as I had imagined it right down to the bathing suit and the Ray-Bans.

"What now?" he asked.

"Your bathing suit. It's black."

He was wearing his sunglasses, but I'd swear he rolled his eyes. I stripped off my shirt revealing my low-cut bathing suit. Even with the mirrored shades, it was obvious; his eyes were on me. I wiggled out of my jean shorts.

He voiced his approval, "Nice."

"You're not disappointed that it's not a bikini?"

"Not at all. It was wrong of me to make demands. I was just trying to boost your ego. You look beautiful."

I could feel the blush on my cheeks. "It's hot out here," I said, trying to cover.

"Why don't we go for a swim?" he suggested.

"Sure."

Ranger pulled the lotion out of his bag. "Come here."

I looked at him funny. "What?"

"I want to put some lotion on your face."

"I can do it," I said defensively.

"Babe."

I sucked in a deep breath and stepped forward. He began to apply the lotion to my face. I couldn't see his eyes through the mirrored sunglasses, and it bothered me. I couldn't tell if he was looking at my face, staring into my eyes, or ogling my breasts. I wished he would take off those glasses.

Ranger handed me the lotion. "Make sure you get your cleavage. You wouldn't want to burn there."

"Right," I replied as I took the bottle from him.

"Would you do my back?" he asked as he turned around.

"Carlos, do you even need lotion? I mean, you're as tan as can be."

"I'm not tan. This is my natural color. I will burn without protection, just like you."

I squirted the lotion onto his back and smoothed it over his tight muscles with both hands. His back was wider than Joe's, and his shoulders were broader, too. He was tapered at the waist, and I couldn't help but admire his ass as I rubbed the lotion on the small of his back. I was relieved when I finished because in all honesty, I was getting very excited. What I hadn't considered was Ranger volunteering to do my back. He came dangerously close to my breast as he spread the lotion on my back and along my sides. He slid his fingers just under my suit "to make sure he got full coverage."

Once we were both satisfactorily protected from the Florida sun, we strolled into the surf. The tide was coming in, and the waves were a bit rougher than I expected them to be. The water was warm though, considering it was December. The ocean in New Jersey would cause hypothermia at this time of year. We dove under the breakers to where we were able to float and relax. Ranger swam to me and pulled me into his arms. I instinctively wrapped my legs around him. He smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" I snapped playfully.

"What do _you_ think?"

I smiled back at him.

"See, babe? You like it, too."

"Carlos, I will admit that I will _always_ be attracted to you, but I've made my choice. I love that you flirt with me, and I want to flirt back, but I'm afraid you'll take it seriously."

"I probably would. I guess I'm going to have to learn where my boundaries are—hold on!" Ranger pushed off the ocean floor and lifted us both over the large wave that was heading toward us. It crashed just as it passed us.

We settled again still in each other's arms.

"I guess it won't matter after today since I don't even know when I'll see you again." I was sad, and my face conveyed my emotions.

"Babe, I'll only be a phone call away."

I draped my arms around his neck and pouted. "But I won't be able to see your handsome face!"

Ranger burst out laughing.

"You are so cute. Babe, I'll always love you." He pulled me into a hug, and I started to cry.

He pulled back, so he could see my face. "No crying now!"

"I can't help it. I'm going to miss you."

Suddenly, a wave came crashing down upon us, pulling is apart. I wasn't sure which way was up because I couldn't feel the bottom beneath me. Another wave hit me, and I was turning topsy-turvy in the breaker. I took in a breath full of water. The next thing I knew, Ranger pulled me above the water. I was coughing and sputtering. I wrapped myself around him and continued to cough.

"I guess we should have been watching the waves," he said as he carried me toward the shore. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," I choked. "I think I've had enough of the ocean for today."

When we reached the waters edge, Ranger placed me on my feet. He walked me to our chairs and offered to get us each a drink. He walked up to the hotel and disappeared while I relaxed in my lounge chair. He returned a short time later with a couple of bottles of diet coke.

We settled into our chairs and got into a conversation about Ranger's job in Miami. I reminded him that I was available to work for Tank, and he reminded me that he would not entertain the idea without Joe's permission. That, in turn, segued into me and Joe and the impending addition to our lives. I told him of my plans to name the baby. He thought it was an interesting take on the names, although he had to admit that if it had been his baby, it would have worked out a whole lot better. After all, Carla was already an accepted name for a girl. He wasn't so sure about a boy named Stephen. He said, in his opinion, the name Stephen implied someone who was studious and not particularly athletic, and he didn't see a Morelli boy falling into that category. I reminded him that the baby could be like me. He laughed and pointed out that I'd be in worse trouble if the baby turned out to be pig headed like me. That warranted a smack on the arm from me which he laughed off.

We had a peaceful afternoon as we basked in the sun. We probably talked more than we talked the whole first year that I knew him. It turns out Ranger had quite a bit of personality when he wasn't focused on his work. Finally, Ranger sat up.

"It's almost five o'clock. We should go back to the room, so we can shower for dinner."

"I know." I sighed. "It's just so nice here."

"You wouldn't want to skip dinner, would you?" We need to get to the airport by eight o'clock if we are going to get you home by eleven."

I smiled. "I'm impressed."

"Well, I always try to impress, but what exactly are you impressed with?"

"The fact that you are consciously trying to get me home on time."

He turned to me and took my hand in his. "Stephanie, even though you are married, I enjoy spending time with you. I hoped maybe we could do this again."

"Sure. I'll come back when my belly looks like a basketball," I joked.

"I told you, pregnant women don't scare me."

"You would be if you had to have sex with me and the basketball."

"Ahh, there are ways to have sex comfortably even when sporting a basketball."

"Were you still with your wife when she was about to give birth?"

"Yes, we didn't split up until after Julie was two years old. Believe it or not, I've changed a diaper or two in my day."

I tried to imagine Ranger changing a diaper and cooing at a baby. I shook my head. "Nope. Can't see it."

Ranger hinted at a smile. "Do you want to eat or not?"

"Yes, I'm starving."

"Good. I have reservations at '660' at the Anglers Resort. It is a very good upscale restaurant in South Beach."

I objected on the grounds that I didn't bring anything other than casual dress. "Can't we go to Outback Steakhouse?"

Ranger glared at me. "Babe."

Ranger insisted that I didn't need to worry, but I continued to protest as we headed for the room. We entered the hotel room, and to my surprise, I found three dresses laid out on the bed.

"I wasn't sure what style you might like, so I asked them to bring a couple to choose from."

"You bought me dresses?" I said in disbelief.

"Technically, I bought you _a_ dress. The other two go back."

"How on earth did you know my size?"

"Ella knows your sizes. She's purchased uniforms for you in the past, remember?"

"But I'm five months pregnant!"

"I told the sales clerk to take that into consideration when she picked out the dresses."

I picked up the first dress. Ranger was watching me intently. It was muted pink, almost salmon in color. It was a halter dress with an empire waist. The skirt of the dress flowed freely to allow for my burgeoning belly.

"That one's nice," he commented.

"How? When did you do this?"

"I did it while you were on the phone with Morelli trying to convince him that you weren't leaving the country."

The second dress was paisley print. I didn't particularly care for it…but the third dress…I fell in love with. It was three tiers of sheer fabric. The bottom tier was black, and it looked as though it would fall just above my knees. The middle layer was a light gray, and this tier reached to about mid-thigh. The top layer was white. It was sleeveless and V-necked, and it was white to the waist with a peplum style ruffle.

"Go ahead, shower, and try them on."

I couldn't help myself. I rushed to him and hugged him. "Thank you, Carlos!" I gushed.

He held me in his arms. "My pleasure, babe."

"Maybe you should shower first," I declared, thinking that he could be doing other things while I was monopolizing the bathroom.

"You _could _shower with me."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I teased.

"Would you like me to show you how much?" he murmured as he pressed closer.

_Oh boy._

My phone began to ring. He stopped. "Saved by the bell."

My body was tense. "Um, that's probably Joe."

Ranger released me. "I guess I'll take my shower."

I dove for the beach bag and rifled through hit trying to get to the phone. It stopped ringing before I could get to it. "Damn it! I hate that!"

Ranger smiled. "You seem a little flustered, babe."

I shot ranger a look and dialed the number back.

"Hello?"

"Hey! I couldn't get to the phone on time."

Ranger disappeared in the bathroom, but I noticed he left the door open. I made it a point to look in the other direction.

"Hi, cupcake. How are you doing? Are you having a good time?"

"Yes. We went snorkeling off of a catamaran, and I saw a spotted ray!"

"You did?" he said in a supportive voice.

"Yes, and then we laid on we beach and talked. Now we are going to go out for dinner. Ranger bought me a dress."

"He what?"

"He wants to take me out to a nice restaurant, so he surprised me with a dress." I didn't think I should tell Joe that Ranger had brought me three dresses.

"Where is he now?"

"He's in the shower."

Joe was silent.

"Joe, he's been very respectful."

"So, he hasn't kissed you?"

"No!"

He was silent again. It was almost as if he didn't believe me.

"Joe, I won't deny that he's flirted, but he hasn't crossed any lines and even if he did, I won't."

"I'll see you at eleven?"

"That's the plan."

"I love you."

"Ditto."

"What's the matter; you can't say it because he's there?"

"Don't be ridiculous! He's in the shower. He wouldn't hear me anyway. I was just trying to be cute. You remember when you thought I was cute?"

"I think I would like to hear my wife say I love you."

"I love you. I'll see you soon."

I hung up before he could start another argument. I knew this would be difficult for him, but so far, other than his own insecurities, I felt like it was going pretty well.

I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Ranger was sitting next to me on the bed, wrapped in a towel, gently squeezing my hand.

"Babe, would you rather sleep than eat?" he asked.

"No, I'm up. I was just resting my eyes." I took a deep breath, and the smell of Bulgari entered my nasal passages. I wanted to pull his naked body on top of me.

"Why don't you take a shower and get dressed?"

I nodded. "Right."

He stood up, and he was stunning. I almost wished the towel would slip off—almost. I scooted off the bed and moved quickly to the bathroom. By the time I got out of the shower, my bag of clothing was sitting on the back of the toilet, and the dresses were hanging on the hook on the bathroom door. I decided I would try all three dresses on and let Ranger decide.

I tried the pink dress on first. I marched out to the living room where Ranger was waiting. He was dressed in all black with the exception of the tie which was silver gray. He could turn any girl's head.

Ranger gave me the once over. "Nice."

"You think?" I had to admit I did like the dress.

"The color suits you."

"I just thought of something. I didn't bring any shoes except for my sneakers and my sandals."

Ranger showed me his pearly whites. He reached over the side of the chair opposite where I was standing and pulled out a box. "These should do." He handed me the box. I opened it and found a pair of jute covered wedge heels with cream-colored macramé tops with straps that buckled around the ankle.

"They're beautiful!" I cooed.

"Like you. Here, let me help you put them on." He took my left foot in his lap and fastened the buckle. After he fastened the other foot, I stepped back and twirled in a circle. "Perfect." He smiled in approval.

"You don't think I should try on the other dresses?"

"No need. I don't think you could improve on this."

"What about the gray dress?" After all, it was my favorite at first sight.

He stood up. "I'm wearing black. You stand out in the pink."

I couldn't argue. He was right. The gray, white, and black dress would have made us look too matchy-matchy.

"Here, let me cut the tag off for you." He cut the tag from just under my arm and slipped it in his pocket before I could look at the price. "Are you ready to go?"

"Carlos, I'm not wearing any make-up."

"And you're beautiful."

"You are absolutely crazy. I am not going out wearing this dress and these shoes with no make-up. I'll be out in a few minutes."

I rushed back to the bathroom and quickly checked the price on the other two dresses. The paisley was two hundred and eighty dollars and the dress I liked was three hundred and fifty dollars. I looked at myself in the mirror. I'd never owned a dress this expensive before with the exception of my wedding dress. I don't know why, but I felt very classy. I put on make-up, but I tried not to go _Jersey._ I went lighter than normal on the mascara, and I chose lighter shade of lipstick instead of the ruby red that I typically wore. Ranger knocked and asked if he could take the other two dresses because the sales clerk from the boutique had returned for them.

I really wanted to try on the gray dress, but I knew if I said something, he would probably just buy it for me, and I didn't want to be like the waitress he took with him to Atlantic City. He had mentioned that all she wanted to do was spend his money. I reminded myself that Ranger was not my sugar daddy. I was here to spend time with my friend.

I entered the living room and announced that I was ready to go. Ranger suggested that we put our bags in the car, so we could go straight to the airport from the restaurant.

"You mean I'll be wearing the dress home?"

"What's the matter? Don't you want Morelli to see you all dolled up?"

That was a loaded question. "Of course I want him to see me looking—pretty, but I'm not so sure I want him to see how I dressed for you."

Ranger smiled. "It's nice to know that you are conscious of how you present yourself to me. You might tell Morelli that you stayed in the dress on purpose because you wanted him to see how absolutely stunning you are in pink."

He made me blush.

"Or you can always change on the plane."

"Let's go."

Ranger opened the door, and an envelope that must have been wedged in the door jam fell to the floor. On the outside was the written, "Stephanie." I bent down and quickly snatched up the envelope. I ripped it open, and inside, I found three pictures of me and Ranger at the beach and a note. The first was of Ranger carrying me out of the surf after I had nearly drowned. I was clinging to him. If one didn't know of the circumstances, it would appear that we were in love. Another was of Ranger slathering lotion on my back. His hands were on my body. Need I say more? The last was of the two of us relaxing in the chairs. One would think it was innocent enough except Ranger had laid his hand on top of mine—a small gesture fraught with suggestion. My immediate fear was that whoever took the picture—Terry Gilman came to mind—would send them to Joe. Then I read the note. It sent me into a panic.

_I know it is difficult being without me. Don't worry, my pet. Our time will come._

_ Richard_

"Oh my god! He's following me!"

Ranger took the pictures from me and rifled through them. "These were taken on the beach."

"What am I supposed to do?" I was ready to cry.

"Nothing," she said dryly.

"Nothing?"

"He wants you to panic. He can't touch you while you are with me. When you get home, tell Morelli. I can put a guard on you again if you want."

"No! I don't want Joe to know! Look at these pictures!"

Ranger took the pictures and tucked them into his inside breast pocket.

"What pictures? Look, he's not going to make a move while he's in jail. It would be pointless to hold you hostage while he's incarcerated. He's messing with your head. Ignore it."

"I'll try."

Ranger gestured toward the elevators. "Shall we?"

The drive to the restaurant didn't take long at all. It was beautiful. It was everything one would expect in a high end resort complete with golden chandeliers and grand fixtures on the walls.

There was no waiting and no pagers. We were seated immediately upon our arrival in a cozy and private corner of the room. I thought it was funny that Ranger was seated with his back to the wall as was customary for him in any public place.

The waiter approached our table. He was carrying a small tray with two small plates. "Good evening, Señor Manoso. My name is Julio, and I will be your waiter tonight. Chef Torres has asked that you accept this amuse-bousche that he has prepared especially for you. It is a Tiradito Scallop. It is made with passion fruit, aji Amarillo, red onion, garlic chip, avocado, cilantro, and lemon oil. He hopes you will enjoy it. Oh, and he said he will see you personally a little later."

"Thank you, Julio."

"Can I get you and your lovely date an aperitif?"

"Thank you, but my date is with child, so she won't be consuming any alcohol. I think I will refrain as well. I will have the sparkling water with a splash of lemon and raspberry. My lady friend prefers unsweet tea with lemon." He turned to me. "Is that correct, Stephanie?"

"Yes, please." I felt very intimidated by the decadence of the banter between Ranger and the waiter. I was afraid to talk at all. My Jersey accent would surely destroy the fine appearance that Ranger was pulling off so beautifully.

"Bueno." The waiter nodded and left us to our spoon sized gourmet scallop.

I leaned toward Ranger. "Is this all we get for an appetizer?"

Ranger burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" After all, I was starving.

"An amuse-bousche is a little taste to tease your palate. The appetizer comes afterward followed by the entrée."

"Oh." I felt so stupid.

"Babe, I know I have no right to say this, but I love you."

I smiled weakly at him and focused my attention on the scallop. I used my knife and cut it into three pieces, so I could savor it. It was better than delicious. I wished I had about six more.

When the waiter returned with our drinks, he handed us our menus. Ranger asked he could choose the appetizer. At this point, I would have eaten just about anything. He ordered something called crunch. I read the menu which described it as endive, baby arugula, tamarind date, confit duck, scallion, goat cheese, lemon oil, almond, and hearts of palm. I asked Ranger why everything listed the ingredients. Ranger explained that since the chef used many different ingredients that one could be allergic to, it was required that he list the ingredients in each of his dishes. I had to admit, it did make it easier for me to choose my entrée.

I almost could have predicted our choices. Ranger ordered the Seafood Aji Amarillo which consisted of scallops, shrimp, clams, yuca, and basil chimichurri. I, being the steak and potato kind of girl chose Churrasco. I don't know what it meant, but it had skirt steak, white truffle aioli, basil chimichurri, and manchego papitas which I hoped were potatoes.

Everything we ate had such a wide range of flavors. It was like a taste explosion in my mouth. The chef arrived at our table as we were finishing our meal.

"Carlos! So good to see you!"

Ranger rose from his seat, and the men embraced each other in a manly hug.

"Carlos. Good to see you, too." The two men then began to speak in Spanish. After a minute, Ranger reverted back to English. "I am being rude. I'd like to introduce you to a very close friend of mine, Stephanie Morelli. Stephanie, this is Chef Carlos Torres. He is my cousin and the owner of this restaurant."

"Oh!"

Carlos reached out and took my hand in his and kissed it gently. "My cousin did not lie when he spoke of your beauty."

Again I blushed. He had similar features to Ranger's but without the muscle. "Thank you."

"I hope you enjoyed the meal I prepared for you."

"It was truly delicious. I only wish the scallop could have been an entrée. I could have eaten a plateful."

He smiled. "Maybe if you come again, I will serve it as an entrée then."

"That would be awesome."

He turned to Ranger and resumed speaking to him in Spanish. Finally, he reverted back to English. "I hope to see you more often now that you will be living here in Miami."

"I will do my best, cousin. I regret that I won't have the company of this beautiful lady."

Chef Torres once again turned to me. "I have known Carlos my whole life, and it is rare that he gushes over a woman. You must be very special."

"If you mean accident prone, then I can't deny it."

Ranger laughed. "She is a danger magnet." Ranger looked at his watch. "Unfortunately, I need to return her to her husband, so we have to be going."

"Can you wait a few minutes? Maybe have a slice of key lime pie? I want to give this lovely lady something to take home to her husband."

"Of course."

We had coffee and pie and Chef Torres brought out a bag with a to-go box inside.

"What is it?" I asked.

He grinned. "Tiradito scallops."

My face lit up. "Thank you!" I rose from my seat and hugged him.

He looked at Ranger. "She is precious."

"She is," Ranger agreed.

Chef Torres took his leave. Ranger paid his bill and left a healthy tip, and we were on our way.

"Thank you for taking me the restaurant. I had a wonderful time."

He took my hand in his and looked into my eyes as if he were trying to see into my soul. "Babe."

_Oh boy._

"It is taking every fiber of my being not to kiss you right now."

"Carlos, I—I can't."

"I know."

The rest of the ride, we were quiet. I didn't know what to say. I loved Ranger, but I didn't want to disappoint Joe. He believed in me, and Joe was my life. I didn't want to lose Ranger as a friend. I reached out and held Ranger's hand.

"If you find that perfect woman, I will understand."

He chuckled. "I'm here if you need me."

We pulled up to the airport, and Ranger helped me out. He carried the bags into the terminal. I took a seat like before and let Ranger handle the arrangements. He was at the desk, and then he pulled out his phone. I could see the look on his face, and it wasn't good. Finally, he came over to where I was.

"We have a problem."

"What do you mean we have a problem?"

"Our pilot spent his day at the bar. He's drunk. He can't fly."

"Then find another pilot. What about you? Can't you fly?"

"I don't have a license."

"What about someone else? This is an airport, right?"

"It's a small private airport. There's no one else available. I tried."

"Carlos, I promised Joseph that I would be home by eleven o'clock."

"I'm sorry."

My heart started to palpitate. "You don't understand. He said he'd divorce me if I wasn't in his bed tonight."

"He's not going to divorce you."

I started to freak out. "Ranger, I made a promise!" I shrieked.

"Before you flip out, call him."

"And say what?"

"The truth. The pilot got trashed, and he can't fly the plane. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No. I'll do it." I pulled out my phone and dialed the number. It was almost eight thirty.

Joe picked up quickly. "I hope you are calling to tell me that you have landed in New Jersey," he said in a happy tone.

I was tongue tied. I didn't know what to say.

"Stephanie?"

The tears started to form.

"Stephanie, what's wrong?"

"I can't get home."

"What do you mean, you can't get home?"

"Our pilot is drunk and he can't fly."

"Can't you get another pilot?"

"Carlos says there's none available."

"Well isn't that convenient for _Carlos_."

"I'm sorry."

"Right. Where are you going to sleep?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll get a hotel room."

"So, Terri was right."

"No! I want to be with you!"

"Stephanie, I can't do this with you." With that, he hung up. I quickly dialed him back. The phone immediately went to voice mail.

I ran to Ranger. "He hung up on me!"

"Let me talk to him."

"You can't. He shut off his phone. I can't lose him!" I cried.

My perfect day with Ranger was ending in disaster. I sat in the chair and continued to dial Joe over and over again. Terri Gilman's gossip had poisoned Joe's mind. Tomorrow, he would go to work, and everyone would see him. They would assume the rumors were right. I ran out the front door of the terminal and screamed "_Someone, please help me!"_


	39. Chapter 39

**So, my last chapter took a long time coming, and I really spilled my guts in my intro. The most wonderful thing happened. I got a dozen reviews, and they weren't the kind that said, "Good job, update soon". They were long, opinionated reviews in which the fans gave their feelings on Stephanie, and the reasons behind their thoughts. It was GREAT! I want to thank you all again (even though I think I wrote back to each of you). I was so excited that I actually kept on writing the next chapter, instead of jumping to Nate's Diary as I usually do. So, here it is a week later, and I have another chapter for you.**

**Prudofyoubabe**

**Reeka**

**ProLifter**

**Byanyothername1234**

**JMTS2012**

**Georgiagirlagain**

**BabeCakeLvr**

**FoodBookLover**

**BlackhawkCarol**

**Bearlythr**

**BingChiLing**

**First Generation Scot**

**You guys Rock!**

**I hope you like this chapter.**

FLYING ON DIESEL

I was staring up at the sky as if I expected God to drop a pilot into my arms. Suddenly, from behind me I heard, "Damn it! I hate when that happens!"

I spun around, and my mouth dropped open.

"Diesel? What are doing here?"

"Hell if I know. I was in my bathroom debating on whether or not to shave for my date tonight, and all of a sudden—poof! I am here. Where is here, anyway?"

"Miami."

"Cool!"

I rushed to him and gave him a warm hug. "I think I summoned you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was really upset, and I came out here and screamed to God for someone to help me. He sent you. You're an angel, aren't you?"

At that moment, Ranger exited the building and rushed to me. "Stephanie!" he called as he approached us. I imagine he thought it could be Kaiser's guy threatening me or worse.

"It's okay!" I called out. "It's Diesel!"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Diesel flashed his hundred watt grin. "You know I often find myself asking the same question."

Then it hit me. He could fly. He flew the helicopter when I was stuck in the Pine Barrens.

"Diesel, can you fly a plane?"

"Well yeah, why?"

"I mean can you fly a plane right now?"

He laughed. "So t_hat's_ where I am. I'm at an airport."

Ranger shot him a strange look.

"He's being sarcastic," I said, trying to cover the fact that Diesel had popped in from out of nowhere.

"Well?" I pressed.

"Have you got a plane for me to fly?"

"Yes!" I shrieked. I began to dare hope that I might actually make it home tonight.

Ranger interrupted. "We have a plane, but the pilot decided to imbibe, so he can't fly us back to New Jersey. I can pay you a thousand dollars if you'll fly us into Teeterboro and then bring the plane back here for the pilot to retrieve tomorrow."

"A thousand bucks, huh?" He folded his arms over his chest. "I could spend a few days down here—party—yeah, I like that." He nodded his head. "You know it's frickin' cold in Massachusetts."

"Then it's settled! I gotta call Joe!"

Ranger ushered Diesel into the terminal. I pulled out my phone. I called, and it went to voice mail again. I decided to leave a message. "It's me. We found a pilot. I don't know if I'll make it by eleven, but barring any more surprises, I should be home before one. I love you, and I can't wait to feel your arms around me." I followed that with a text.

It took another half hour for Diesel to get the plane in the air. I was ancy. Ranger seemed pensive. We hadn't talked much since I blew up on him at the airport.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine."

"How do I seem?"

"I don't know. Angry?"

"Have I expressed anger? Have I yelled at you?"

"No, but you've been quiet."

"You want to get home to Morelli. I respect that. I couldn't accommodate you, and you took matters into your own hands."

"It was a fluke. I never expected to turn around and see Diesel standing there."

"You didn't know he was in Miami?"

"Is that what you think? You think that I called him because I didn't trust that you'd get me home?"

"If it wasn't for him you would be stuck with me in Miami right now."

I got up from my seat and sat next to him. I grabbed him by the forearm. "Ranger, I never doubted that you'd get me home on time."

"And yet I didn't," he countered.

"Stop it! I've never seen you like this. You are Batman, the wizard. You can do anything! But you can't control someone else. That pilot was not your employee. He is the employee of whoever owns this plane. He obviously has no respect for that person. If he did, he would have been at the airport on time, sober. So, I don't want to see you pouting."

"I don't pout."

I placed my fingers on the corners of his mouth. "I want to see you smile."

Ranger grabbed me by the wrists. He sighed deeply. "I guess you were lucky that Diesel happened to come along."

"That's right because now I'll get home on time. Joe won't divorce me, and hopefully, I'll be able to do this with you again."

He leaned forward and gave me a hug. "Tell me, how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Balance loving Morelli and keeping me just short of throwing you down and making love to you."

"I love Joe. If I ever doubt that, I just think back to the night he was shot, and I almost lost him." I felt my stomach tighten as I thought about that horrible night. "I love you, too. We had a great time, but…"

"But I wouldn't be as lenient and forgiving as Morelli. If the situation were reversed, I wouldn't have let you out of the house."

"And eventually I would hate you for controlling me. Joe wants to trust me. He doesn't want to control me. He wants me to control myself."

"Well, you did a pretty good job at keeping me at bay. I guess I'll just have to sleep with you in my dreams."

"Yeah, you and Richard."

"You need to tell Morelli."

"I know. You should probably give me the pictures."

"I thought I'd get to keep them."

"I don't want to lie to Joe."

"Then don't."

"Well, what am I supposed to say if he asks to see the pictures?"

"Tell him the truth. I took them because you were upset and freaking out."

"Carlos."

"Hey, it's the only pictures of us I've ever had."

Diesel's voice piped through the cabin. _"Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know we'll be landing in just a few minutes, so you might want to put your seat belts on." _

"I'm gonna miss you."

"Pick up the phone and call me, okay?"

"I will. I promise."

The plane landed, and I thanked Diesel for coming to my rescue. I told him that I knew he was my guardian angel. He insisted that he was no angel. It was an hour ride back to the Burg. It was a quiet ride. I was sad that I had to leave Ranger, but I was anxious to get to Joe. We pulled into the driveway at eleven thirty. I let out a deep breath when I saw the light in the living room on and the SUV in the driveway. I pulled my key from my purse.

Ranger pulled me into a hug.

"This is not good-bye, right?" I croaked.

"No. This is time for me to work on my business and for you to spend as much time with Morelli as you can before that baby comes. I'll be back. You'll see."

"Take care of yourself."

"I will. You call me if you need anything."

I kissed his cheek and got out of the car. He watched me walk to the house. I gave him one final wave as I shoved the key in the door. I took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

I pushed the door open. "Joe?"

I stepped into the hallway and dropped my bag. "Joe?"

The TV was on in the living room, but Joe wasn't there. There were three empty bottles of beer lined up on the coffee table. I started to climb the stairs. "Joe?"

I got to the bedroom, and he wasn't there. He wasn't home. I noticed my black garter belt and stockings thrown on the floor against the wall. _Wait. Where's Bob? _Bob was missing, too. Wherever he was, Bob was with him. I sat on the bed and kicked off my shoes. _Maybe he went to his mother's, or Anthony. Maybe he dumped Bob off to Anthony, so he could shack up with Terri Gilman._

The lump in my throat gave way to tears. My mind was working overtime tossing all the random possibilities around in my head when I head the front door open and close.

"Stephanie?"

I was off the bed and running down the stairs as quickly as my feet would carry me. "Joe!" He was standing at the bottom of the stairs. As I reached the bottom step, I vaulted into his arms. I started to sob. "I'm sorry, I'm late," I cried.

"How did you get here?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy, but I think it was God."

"What?"

"When Ranger told me the bad news, I left the terminal. I was frantic. I asked God for help."

"You asked God?"

"Well, not exactly. I just screamed, 'Somebody help me'. I turned around and there he was."

"God?"

"No! Diesel!"

"Diesel is God?"

I caressed his face. "No, but I think he is my guardian angel. God wants us to be together. Kiss me, please?"

Joe didn't waste another moment. He pressed his lips to mine, and I was consumed with adulation for him. He kissed me for a full minute before he pulled back and spoke.

"Sweetheart, can we sit down and talk about this guardian angel thing?"

He dragged me to the couch, and I told him all about Diesel showing up out of nowhere, and the fact that he had a pilot's license.

He was smiling like the cat that ate the mouse. "Ranger must have been beside himself."

"He was disappointed in himself."

"Right. He was disappointed that Diesel spoiled his plan to keep you over night."

"Joe!" I whined. "He really did plan on getting me home."

"I'm sorry. I don't believe that, and if you weren't so gullible, you would have known the truth."

"What truth?"

"Nothing. What's important is you are here."

"What truth?"

"Nice dress. I bet it cost a pretty penny."

"Joe, you are changing the subject."

"I don't think I am. Carlos Manoso is in love with you. He took you down there and treated you like a princess in the hopes you would have some sort of epiphany and decide he was the one you wanted to be with."

"Well I didn't."

"Just because the baby is mine doesn't mean you have to choose me."

"Joseph Morelli, don't you ever say that again! I love our baby, but even if I wasn't pregnant, I would still choose you."

"Say it again."

"I choose you."

"One more time."

"I choose you."

"Good, because I choose you, too. Let's go to bed."

I stripped out of my clothes which wasn't difficult to do considering all I was wearing was the dress, a bra, and panties. I picked up the garter belt off the floor.

"Stephanie, you don't have to do that."

"But I want to."

"To tell you the truth, I'm really not in the mood to have you on your knees trying to prove to me how much you love me."

"Why?"

He just shook his head. "I'm going to shower."

"Do you want me to shower with you?"

"No."

"Joe, what's wrong?"

"Gee, I don't know. My wife still refuses to see that her ex-lover would like nothing more than to break us up, so he can take her for himself…" He began to undress. "And yet, you have no problem pointing out that Terri Gilman is just dying to get her mitts on me!" He was yelling now. "You know what? Maybe I have feelings for Terri, too. Maybe I'd like to take a trip to Miami with her and hang out—as friends of course. You should listen to yourself talk."

He entered the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

I plopped on the bed. I was dumfounded. _How did we go from 'I choose you' to this?_ I started to cry. I began to think about the day. Ranger was wonderful, but I had to admit he did press pretty hard for more than friendship—and now that I thought about it, I didn't see this drunk pilot. It could have been a lie. I was so confused. I couldn't believe that Ranger would stoop so low, but then again, he poached for years, even when he knew I was trying to make it work with Joe. _Damn! How was I so blind?_

I turned out the light, climbed under the blankets, and curled up in a ball. A few minutes later, Joe came out of the bathroom. He slid into the bed next to me.

He laid his hand on my back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pop off like that. I just thought that once we were married, the competition would stop."

I rolled over to face him. "I'm sorry, Joe. I really didn't know his intentions were to try and take me from you."

He rolled onto his back. "You are just so naïve, sometimes."

"Do you hate me?"

"The only thing I hate is the thought that I could lose you to him."

I laid my head on his chest, and he wrapped his arm around me. "That will never happen."

He kissed my forehead.

I felt secure. Secure enough to finally close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

I slept until eleven o'clock. Joe was long gone. Bob was lying comfortably on Joe's side of the bed. He was still wearing his cast. In the weeks that passed, he had learned to maneuver pretty well with it. When I got downstairs, I found Rex running on his wheel. There was a note on the counter. It read,

_I fed Bob this morning. Don't forget, he has an appointment at noon to get his cast taken off. I thought tonight, we could go get a Christmas tree. I'll call you later. I love you. – Joe_

I glanced up at the calendar. Today was December seventeenth, only a week away from Christmas. I didn't think that Joe wanted to get a tree. I wondered if the events of the last twenty four hours had any bearing on this latest decision. I looked at the clock. Eleven thirty. I needed to get Bob to the vet. I picked up his leash, and he immediately began jumping up and down. Bob went willingly to the car.

It wasn't until I pulled into the vet's office that he realized where we were. I had to pull on him with all my might to get him out of the car, and then I practically had to drag him into the vet's office. The receptionist at the desk was someone I knew because she was married to a cop.

"Hi, Melissa."

She looked almost surprised to see me. "Oh, hi. I thought you were in Miami."

"It was a day trip. My friend wanted to show me his new business he is opening down there. "

"Oh."

I smiled sweetly at her because I knew that Terri had spread the rumor that Joe and I had broken up.

I took a seat and decided to call Joe. I was wondering how he was coping with the rumors. I checked my phone, and I had five missed calls…two from Joe, one from Lula, one from Val, and one from Tank. _Crap._

I called Joe back first.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked without saying hello.

"I'm at the vet."

"I called you twice this morning."

"I was asleep. I guess I was tired."

"Yeah, I tried to wake you to kiss you good-bye, and you were dead to the world."

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay. Your mother called me first thing this morning. She wanted to know about our relationship."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her our relationship was fine, and you didn't do anything that I was supportive of."

"Thank you."

He sighed. "My mother called, too."

"Oh boy."

"I reassured her, as well as half the force, Vinnie, Mattie, my brother, and even Joyce Barnhardt."

"I'm sorry."

"I just want to put this whole thing behind us. Do you think it might be possible for you to just be normal for a while?"

"Sure." _As soon as I figure out what normal is. _"I'm going to pick up some ornaments for the tree after I take Bob home."

"You don't have to. There are ornaments in the attic."

"Joe, I don't want to put up your aunt's tree. I want it to be ours."

He chuckled. "Okay, you pick up what you need, but I'd still like to go through her things to see what we might want to keep. Whatever we don't want, I'll take over to Anthony's."

"Perfect. What time will you be home?"

"Six?"

"Great, I'll have dinner ready."

"Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Keep that thought, okay?"

My next call was to Val. I reassured her that everything was fine between me and Joe. She informed me that she and her brood were going to Mom's tomorrow night for dinner. She said it would be nice if me and Joe went to prove to Mom that what Terri saw was bullshit. I was interrupted in my call by the nurse. It was time to bring Bob to get his cast cut off.

Poor Bob did not want to go into the room. I was pulling him by his collar, and the nurse got behind him and pushed.

"God Damn it!" she screeched.

Bob took a few steps toward me. He had urinated out of fear, and the nurse was kneeling in it.

"That's the second time today!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I hate this job!"

I thought back to the many times I had something dumped on me or had fallen into something disgusting.

"It could be worse. You could be diving in a dumpster for your car keys."

The instant memory of the old days, when Morelli was someone to get even with, made me smile. I certainly got even with him. He was mine.

Twenty minutes later, we were checking out. Bob was wagging his tail, happy that he got his leg back. I decided to stop in and see my mom, so I could assure her that Joe and I had not split up and to invite myself to dinner tomorrow.

I pulled up to the house. Mom's car was gone, but Dad's taxi was there and so was a vehicle I didn't recognize. I figured that maybe one of Dad's buddies stopped by. I tried the door. It was locked. Rather than knock, I used my key. I heard Barry White blaring from the living room. I stepped into the room and was horrified at what I saw. Grandma Mazur was lying on the couch with her legs in the air, and some old geezer was on top of her pumping away.

"Oh my God!" I cried out.

Grandma reacted by shoving said geezer off the couch. He landed on his ass with a thump, his penis standing straight up in the air.

"I wasn't done!" he yelled in a crotchety voice.

"That's my grandmother!" I screeched.

"And a hell of a woman," he added.

By now, Grandma had grabbed the throw from the back of the couch and had covered her torso with it. Bob trotted over to the man and gave him a big ol' lassie lick.

"Stephanie, I didn't know you were coming over. Your mother and father went out. Harold was feeling a little frisky after lunch, so one thing led to another, and…"

"Who the hell is Harold? What happened to the other guy?"

"Oh, him. He had a mild stroke. I decided it was time I move on. Harold is my backup, like Ranger."

"Ranger is not my backup!"

"Coulda fooled me!"

"Would you please tell mom that I was here, and that Joe and I would like to come for dinner tomorrow? Val called me and said they were coming, too."

"I'll tell her if you promise not to tell her about me and Harold doing the wild thing in the living room. She gets really bent out of shape about it."

"Fine." _I will never, ever sit on that couch again. _"Come on, Bob!"

Bob looked at me and quickly licked the old man's penis, and then came bounding towards me. I had to pull my hand to my mouth. I thought I was going to puke.

I took Bob home and gave him a big bowl of water. I was hungry, but I felt pretty nauseated. I figured I'd go to the office and see Lula and Mateo. It would be better than calling them, and I was sure Lula would go to lunch with me. I was about to leave when my phone rang. It was Joe.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful. How is your day going?"

"I feel sick."

"Oh, no. Is it your stomach or your head?"

"Definitely my stomach."

"Do you think it's something you ate?"

"No, it's something I saw."

"Huh?"

I told the Grandma and Harold story. He burst out laughing.

"It's not funny. It was disgusting!"

"Well she did lock the door. You should have knocked."

"Who's side are you on?"

"Harold's."

"You know Bob licked his penis."

"Yeah, Bob does that."

"Ew! He's licked your penis?"

"Well, it's not like I invite him to do it, but I do sleep naked in case you haven't noticed."

"Ugh! From now on, you have to wash that thing before I put it in my mouth."

"Are you offering? Because last night you passed out on me."

"I was tired!"

"I'm not mad. I was just hoping to maybe play a little 'hide the salami' tonight?"

"Maybe I'm not in the mood."

"Why wouldn't you be in the mood? This wouldn't have anything to do with _Carlos_, would it?"

"You know what? You're an ass." I hung up on him.

I dropped my phone on the table and left the house. I did not need to argue with him over Ranger.

Both Lula and Mateo were at the office. Mattie was celebrating the capture of an FTA. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but it was enough for him to make his rent. We went out to Pino's for lunch. I got quite a few double takes from some of the officers that were there eating lunch. One actually got the balls to come over and confront me.

"Hey Stephanie. I heard through the grapevine that you had run off to Miami with Ranger. Morelli said it wasn't true, but I thought he was covering."

"Well, maybe you should listen to your fellow officer and not to a big mouth slut who likes to cause trouble. I went to Miami for one day to check out Ranger's new business."

"Terri put a picture on Facebook of the two of you holding hands."

"He was holding my hand, so I wouldn't run after her and kick her ass for being a bitch."

"May I quote you on that?"

"Please do," I replied with a ton of venom in my mouth. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was discussing what I was going to get my husband for Christmas with my friends."

"Not at all. Enjoy your day…" He turned away but then turned back. "And for the record, I don't like Terri Gilman, either." He winked and walked away.

Lula took back the conversation. "So, what _did _you and Batman do on your day in Miami?" She leaned forward. "Did he romance you?"

"He tried."

"Oooo, dish!"

"He borrowed a private jet and flew me down in the morning. He got us a hotel..."

Mattie interrupted my story. "He _borrowed_ a jet? Who does that?"

"Ranger does that—that's who," Lula said with attitude. "What happened at the hotel? Did you make love?"

"Nothing happened at the hotel. It was just a place to shower and change and to take a nap."

"You took a nap with Ranger?"

I sighed deeply. "No, I didn't take a nap. Jesus, Lula. I'm married to Joe!"

"Then what the hell did you do?"

"We went snorkeling, and then we hung out on the beach. He bought me a dress, and he took me out to dinner at a fancy restaurant that his cousin owns. Then he brought me home." I didn't think she needed to know about the 'drunk pilot' debacle. As much as I was disappointed in Ranger at the moment, I didn't want to trash him, either.

"That's it?" Lula looked disappointed.

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's it."

"Damn. What a disappointment."

"I'm proud of you," Mattie said as he patted my shoulder.

I stuck my tongue out at Lula and then turned to Mattie. "Thank you, Mattie."

We finished our dinner, and I brought a sullen Lula back to the office. Mattie hugged my good-bye. "Stay strong, puddin'."

"I will."

My next stop was Wal-Mart. I bought a bunch of Christmas lights, decorations, and garlands for the tree. I also picked up wrapping paper and tape. On my way home, I passed a Best Buy, and I swung in to check out laptops. Joe had a home computer, but I thought he might like a laptop, so he could work from any part of the house. I left the store a proud owner of a seventeen inch Toshiba laptop. It wasn't the most expensive brand out there, but I was told by several people that it was reliable and would suit the purposes he would be using it for.

I felt good that I had a solid surprise gift for my hubby. My last stop was the supermarket. I bought all the things I needed to make sauce and braciole with spaghetti. I called Val to make sure I had everything and to check if I was making it right. When I got home, I hid the computer in the back of the coat closet. I got right to work on my dinner.

It was the first time ever that I was excited about making a dinner and pleasing my man. I called Val two more times to check the ingredients I was putting in the sauce. She told me to put a teaspoon of sugar in the sauce to cut the acidity. Who knew? Everything was going perfectly when I head the front door open and close.

"Steph?"

"In here!" I yelled.

Joe came into the kitchen carrying a beautiful poinsettia plant. "I was going to get you flowers, but seeing it's almost Christmas…"

"Joe, it's so pretty!"

"I was told to keep it high enough from Bob because if he eats it, it could kill him."

"Oh!" I placed it in recessed windowsill above the sink. "It's perfect right there."

Joe walked over to the pot and lifted the cover. "Whatcha got cooking?"

"I made my first homemade sauce," I said proudly.

"You did that for me?"

"Of course. You didn't want me to prove my love in a garter belt and stockings, so I had to get creative." I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Did I say that?"

"Yes, you did."

"You know I had a few drinks last night, right?"

"It's okay. You made me think, and you're right. I'll always have a special place in my heart for Ranger, but you are my priority, and starting today, I devote myself one hundred percent to you."

Joe smiled brightly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

I leaned forward and kissed him, and he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.

"I think I like this new you."

He kissed me again, and my head started to swim. "Mmmmmm."

He smiled. "You keep doing that, and I might have to drag you upstairs and have my way with you."

"No! We have so much to do tonight. We are going to get a tree, remember? I went to Wal-Mart and bought all kinds of stuff. Why don't you go in the attic and bring down your Aunt's Christmas stuff?"

He kissed my neck. "But you smell so good."

"That's the sauce."

He continued to kiss my neck. "Is it?" He was wearing me down.

"Joe!" I cried, trying to resist.

"Is horny," he replied.

"Okay! Let me turn off the sauce and the spaghetti so it won't burn."

"Now you're talkin'."

I turned off the stove, and Joe took me by the hand and led me to the living room. He immediately went back to kissing my neck as he unbuttoned my shirt. My mind went back to the events earlier today when I caught Grandma and creepy old guy doing it in the living room.

"Joe, not here."

"Why not?" he said as he kicked off his shoes.

"Grandma was doing it in the living room."

Joe laughed.

"It wasn't funny! It was—gross!"

"Okay, let's go upstairs."

He took my hand and followed me up the stairs. "Wait!"

"What now?"

"Bob?"

"What about him? I'll give him attention later."

"You mean _after_ he knocks the sauce off the stove and ruins my perfect dinner?"

"Okay." He released my hand and went back downstairs.

I stripped out of my clothes and went to the bathroom. I freshened up and then considered the garter belt and stockings. I heard Joe coming up the stairs, so I quickly plopped on the bed and posed seductively. I grabbed the blanket and draped it casually over my torso in an effort to cover my expanding belly.

Joe entered the bedroom and stopped. He was staring at me.

"What are you staring at?"

"The woman who stole my heart when I was just eighteen."

"Do you realize that was almost twenty years ago?"

Joe pulled his shirt over his head and unbuckled his pants. "You were hot then, but you are a fucking fantastic lover now. I am so looking forward to this."

Joe slid onto the bed and started to kiss me.

"Wait, did you shower today?"

"Yes, why? Do I smell?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be sucking Bob's slobber."

Joe rolled onto his back and began to laugh.

"Keep laughing, officer." I slid my torso across his abs and began to suck on his dick. He wasn't fully erect when I started, but it took less than thirty seconds for him to fully appreciate my efforts.

"Oh, cupcake, I know Lula is supposed to be the pro, but I can't imagine anyone being better than this. Oh, yeah."

The more he talked, the more I wanted to please him. He finally had to make me stop.

"My turn." He pushed me onto my back and reciprocated. I was squirming as soon as I felt the tip of his tongue on my sweet spot. It felt so—damn—good! I knew he wouldn't give up until he had gotten to me. Five minutes later, I was practically eating the pillow as my body spasmed in orgasm. He lifted me and slid a pillow under my back so he wouldn't hurt my abdomen. I was still tight as he entered my body.

"Fuck! You are tight!"

I bit my lip. "All the better to please you with," I said in a seductive voice. I immediate sucked in my breath as he pushed deep.

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear."

He stared at me as I enjoyed every pulsating thrust into my body. I was surprised that he lasted as long as he did, considering I had brought him so close to climax before. I guess satisfying me gave him time to recuperate.

Finally, I felt him expand inside me, and I reached for his hands. He squeezed them tight as he released his fury. He closed his eyes and winced. It almost looked like he was in pain. He growled, and then his body relaxed. He kissed my hands.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"I was afraid to lie down. I don't want to crush you."

"No, the pillow was a good idea."

He pulled out of me and collapsed on the bed next to me. I pulled the pillow out from under me and turned toward him. I raked my fingers through his hair. He kissed me.

"I could lay here with you forever."

"I thought you wanted to feed me dinner?"

"I do."

"And you wanted me to get the Christmas stuff out of the attic."

"That, too."

"And you wanted to get a tree."

"No, you wanted to get a tree. I just agreed because, after all, Christmas is only a week away. Did you get me anything?"

"You mean I have to buy you a Christmas present?"

"_A_ Christmas present? I'm only getting one?"

His lips curled into an evil grin. "Shoot. We better get up then."

Joe rolled away from me before I could smack him. He was out of the bed and on his feet in an instant. He held out his hand.

"Come on, Mrs. Morelli. I'm starving."

Joe got dressed and climbed into the attic, while I let Bob back into the house and returned to the kitchen. Twenty minutes later, Joe had pulled five boxes of Christmas decorations out of the attic. I was just putting the garlic bread into the oven when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Joe yelled from the living room.

I washed my hands and headed to the living room to see who was at the door. It was Tank. He was holding the to-go bag from the restaurant. As soon as he saw me, he held out the bag to me.

"Ranger asked that I deliver this to you. He said you left it in the car."

"Thank you."

"I was just asking Joe if he wanted us to put a man on you, you know, just in case. Then again, if you come to work for me, you'll already be safe."

I looked at Joe, and he did not look pleased.

I sucked in my breath. "Tank, I'm gonna have to get back to you on that."

The tension in the room was so thick; you could cut it with a knife.

"Sure—okay. Um, I guess I'll be going now. I'll call you. Or better yet, you call me."

"I will. Thank you for the scallops."

Joe was totally silent. I walked Tank to the door and watched him get into the Porsche. I shut the door and waited for the explosion.


	40. Chapter 40

**Guess what I have in my hot little hands!**

**Yes!**

**For the Love of Brynn**

**Book 2- the Moment of Truth**

**All I need to do is read it once more and make sure there are no huge mistakes and then I hit "Approve" and I am in business once again!**

**I should be reading it right now, but last night, I finished this chapter late, and I knew my readers were patiently waiting for the next chapter. So, without further ado, here it is. I hope you all enjoy it.**

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING?

I turned slowly.

Joe was standing a few feet away with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"Tell me why you would need protection, and why does Tank think that you are going to work for Ranger?"

I swallowed hard.

"I smell the garlic bread. I don't want it to burn."

I tried to walk past Joe, but he blocked my forward motion.

"Talk to me Stephanie," he said dryly.

"I will—after dinner—I promise."

"I have put up with more than most men would ever put up with including _Carlos. _How about we talk about this _now_."

I took a deep breath.

"I talked to Tank a few days ago. He told me that while Ranger is gone, he is in charge of Rangeman. He said that Ranger is taking a few key people with him to Miami leaving him shorthanded. One of the places he's in dire need of help is at the office on the computer doing research and background checks."

"No. You are not going to work for him," Joe said adamantly.

"I didn't say I wanted the job. I merely offered to help him out until he was able to hire someone."

"Why? Why would you do that when you _know_ that I don't want you working for Ranger?"

"I did it because Tank is our friend, and Ranger will be in Florida. I didn't think it would be that big of an issue."

"That's the problem with you. You don't think!" He tapped me on the temple with two fingers.

"Fine! You don't want me to help out Tank; I _won't_!" I paused. "And for the record, Ranger said he wasn't going to let me work for him without your permission."

He got in my face and flailed his arms as he spoke. "Good!"

I didn't move. I stood absolutely still and bit my upper lip to keep from saying what was on my mind.

"Can we eat now?" He said in a calmer voice.

"Whatever you want, your highness," I murmured in a sarcastic tone.

"You know what? I would normally fall right into this fight, but not tonight. I'm not going to let you talk me into this. All I have to say is, 'It's good to be king'."

I stormed past him and marched into the kitchen. I pulled the garlic bread out of the oven.

He followed me into the kitchen.

"Do you need any help?"

"Nope." I was pissed, and he knew it.

I pulled two plates from the cabinet. One of the plates slipped from my hand and crashed to the floor. It broke into several pieces. Bob yelped and ran into the other room.

"Damn it!" I cried. I was on the verge of tears.

Joe pulled me into his arms. "Stephanie, I know you are pissed at me, but I'm tired of being the pushover. I can't do it anymore. I'm losing my masculinity. Ranger's a god, and I'm just your whipping boy. Soon, you won't have any respect for me at all."

"I respect you, and you are _not_ my whipping boy. I told you I didn't volunteer to take the job. I only offered to help out temporarily."

"And I don't want you to do it. You make up your own mind. You decide what's more important to you: helping out a guy who can find someone else to fill the hole in the workplace, or creating a rift between us that a newly married couple shouldn't have to face."

"Okay! I won't do it."

He kissed the tip of my nose. "That's my girl. I'll clean up the plate. You need to tell Bob that it's okay. He thinks he did something bad."

He released me, and I went off to find Bob. He was in the living room sitting by the couch. When he saw me, he stood up and nervously wagged his tail.

"Oh, Bob…you're a good boy." I got to my knees, and I hugged him. He licked my face, and all I could think of was Harold's icky penis.

"Yuck!" I cried out.

Joe poked his head in. "What's wrong?"

"He licked my face with his disgusting penis tongue!"

Joe laughed.

"Come on, cupcake. Your plate is ready."

We ate dinner, and Joe either forgot or deliberately didn't bring up my needing protection. Joe praised my culinary skills. It made me feel good to know he liked what I had cooked. After dinner, I started to clean up.

"Sweetheart, it's getting late. If you want to get that tree tonight, we need to get going."

"What about the dishes?"

"Throw the leftovers in the fridge, and we'll deal with them later."

I did as he suggested, and I laid the dirty plates on the floor. I figured Bob would have a blast cleaning the plates while we were gone. We went to the Home Depot where there was still a decent assortment of trees left considering most people had gotten their trees weeks before. We found a lovely six foot tree and toted it home. The temperature had dropped. It felt like snow. I wished it _would_ snow. I looked up at the sky.

"Diesel, can you make it snow?" I yelled.

Joe was untying the ropes that held the tree to the SUV. "You're insane, you know that?"

"You're just mad because I have a guardian angel, and you don't."

"I don't need a damn guardian angel. I need my wife to help me untie these ropes!"

"You sure are cranky tonight."

"I'm freezing my ass off here while you're howling at the moon."

I walked over to where he was struggling with a knot and caressed his ass. "I could warm you up."

"Now stop that!"

"What's the matter? Are you having trouble concentrating?"

"That's it!" He pushed me up against the car and shoved his ice cold hands up my shirt and under my bra.

"Are you crazy?" I screeched.

"Like a fox. Now are you going to help me or not?" He gave my nipples a little squeeze. "This is kind of nice."

"Joe!"

"What? My hands are getting warm." He grinned. "I'm starting to feel warm all over."

"Joseph, stop it. Someone will see us."

"Hey, everybody! I'm molesting my beautiful wife because she won't help me get the Christmas tree off the car!"

I did the only thing I could do at that moment. I grabbed his jewels.

"Don't hurt me now."

"Ugh! You are such a pervert!"

"Hey, I'm not the one holding my balls in public."

I removed my hand from his package. "Will you please take your hands out of my shirt?"

"Spoil sport."

"I thought you wanted me to help you with the tree."

Joe pulled his hands from under my shirt. He kissed me on the cheek. "I do. I'll just satisfy you later."

Joe and I worked together to get the tree into the house. I had forgotten to get a tree stand since my family always put up a fake tree. Joe rifled through the boxes he had dragged down from the attic and found what we needed. We got the tree up, and I decided to look through the boxes, now that they were open.

I pulled out a shoebox that had some ornaments in them that were old and personalized. They were handmade, and they had the names of the person she had made them for. I found the one that had Joe's name on it. It was a snowman made out of Styrofoam balls with sequin eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons and a little hand knitted scarf and hat. Joe took it from me and stared at it. Huge tears formed in his eyes.

"I miss her," he croaked.

I engulfed him in my arms, and he buried his head in my chest. Joe was not one to cry, and it broke my heart to see him like this.

"I was her favorite," he blubbered.

"I know," I replied.

"You were right. We should get rid of all this stuff."

"No. You were right. You're always right. I think that's one of the things I hate about you."

"Oh yeah? You want to know what I hate about you?"

"No. We don't have that kind of time."

Joe just stared at me.

"Do you feel better now?"

Joe smiled as he opened one of the boxes. "Why don't we go through the boxes together and decide what we want to keep."

"I like that idea."

We spent the rest of the night sifting through the boxes of old Christmas decorations, and we ended up keeping most of it. For Joe, parting with the memories was tough. For me, I felt that a lot of the items were worth some real money. By the end of the night, we had managed to get the lights on the tree. Luckily, Bob seemed to have no interest in the tree whatsoever.

Joe and I climbed into bed after cleaning up the kitchen. I snuggled into Joe's chest, and he wrapped his arm around me. I was as happy as a clam.

"Steph?"

"Mmhmm?"

"You want to tell me why Tank thinks that you need protection?"

I felt my heart go thud in my chest. I had hoped he had forgotten about it.

"Not really."

"Come on, sweetheart. I promise I won't get mad."

I sat up.

"Okay. When Ranger and I were in Miami, someone stuck an envelope with my name on it in the jam of our hotel door. The envelope contained a couple of photos of me and Ranger on the beach. I thought it was from Terri Gilman trying to start trouble, but there was a note inside. It said that sooner or later, it would be our time, and it was signed Richard."

Joe sat up and turned on the light. "I see—and where exactly are these pictures?"

"Ranger took them."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it was because I was upset."

He paused. I could see Joe thinking.

"Okay. I'm a little confused. You said you initially thought the pictures were taken by Terri."

"That's right. She saw us down there."

"So why would you be upset? How could Terri start any trouble unless those photos were incriminating."

"They weren't meant to be!" I said in my defense.

His eyes got wide. "Did you have your bathing suit on?"

"Yes!"

"Did you kiss him?"

"No!"

"Then why were you upset about the pictures?"

"I was upset because they were from Richard."

"Stephanie, don't lie to me."

"I'm not! I was upset because Richard is still keeping tabs on me."

"What was in the pictures," he demanded.

I pulled the pillow to my body and held tight to it I took a deep breath. "There were three pictures. The first one was of Ranger carrying me out of the water."

"Why was he carrying you?"

"We were in the water just past the breakers. We were talking to each other and floating. We weren't paying attention to the waves, and this big wave came in and crashed on top of us. I went under, and I couldn't find the bottom. A second wave came in, and then Ranger pulled me out. I was choking, and I wrapped myself around him. He carried me out of the water. It was all very innocent, but if you didn't know that I had practically drowned you might think it was…"

"Intimate?"

I looked down at the sheets. "Yes."

"What about the other two pictures?"

"One was of him putting suntan lotion on my back. It's not as if there was anyone else to do it."

Joe's lips were tight. "And the third picture?"

"We were lying in our chairs and he…"

"He what?"

"He was holding my hand." I was still staring at the bed.

"Richard didn't take those pictures. You have nothing to worry about."

"What are you talking about?"

"Every time Kaiser has sent you pictures, he puts his face on the body of the guy. He didn't do it this time, did he?"

"No, but he obviously didn't take the pictures himself. He's in jail. He would have someone do it for him. I doubt this guy would have pictures of Kaiser at his disposal."

"Stephanie, open your eyes. If Kaiser was going to go through all the trouble of having someone take pictures, he'd make damn sure he was in them. No, those pictures were taken by someone on Ranger's payroll."

"Why would he do that?"

"Tell me something. What did Ranger have to say when you were upset?"

"He took the pictures and told me to tell you what happened, and that he would put a man on me if I wanted. He said that Kaiser wasn't going to touch me while I was with him."

Joe smiled. "There, you see? He's trying to make you feel like you need to be with him in order to be safe."

"You know, I told him that I didn't want you to see those pictures, and he said he'd keep them." I hated to admit it, but everything Joe said was right. "I'm so stupid."

"You're just very trusting, that's all. It's one of the reasons you made a lousy bounty hunter."

"I was _not _a lousy bounty hunter!"

"Sweetheart, how many times did you get your ass kicked, and the culprit escaped because you put your trust in him?"

"A few," I said indignantly.

"I'm not going to worry about Kaiser until I know he is on the loose. Right now, I'm more worried about Ranger."

I took Joe's hand in mine. "You have nothing to worry about. I won't be going back to Miami."

"Good."

"And tomorrow I'll go to Rangeman and tell Tank that in light of recent events, I think it's best that I not work for him."

"I love you."

"Can we go to sleep now?"

"You mean I don't get any special treatment because I didn't scream and yell?"

"Did I get any special treatment for telling you the truth?"

"Well if it's special treatment you want. Come here, cupcake. I got something real special for you."

The next morning I woke feeling refreshed. Joe loved me, and he wasn't mad. For the first time, I had doubts about Ranger's intentions. While it was true that I had deep feelings for him, I had no intentions on breaking my vows. On the outside, Ranger acted as if he respected my marriage, but if you looked just below the surface, it seemed evident that his intentions were to destroy my marriage. Now that I thought about it, I wondered if the whole Terri Gilman thing wasn't a set up, too. I mean what are the chances that you walk out of a hotel and run into someone who hates you? _Shit. I am so fucking stupid. _I decided I was going to try my best to steer clear of everything Ranger—right after I broke the news to Tank.

I pulled into the garage at Rangeman and parked. I stepped into the elevator and pressed five. I wasn't looking forward to disappointing Tank. I figured if I explained that Joe and I had a lot going on with Christmas and all that, he would hopefully understand.

The door opened to the fifth floor, and my mouth dropped open. I was shocked to see Ranger standing there.

"Stephanie. Nice to see you," he said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is my building, remember?"

"You're supposed to be in Miami."

"Well, Tank came to me and said you didn't seem like you were going to fill in while he searched for a replacement for Ramirez, so I told him I'd stay a few days and set up some interviews and get the ball rolling."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

"So, I guess Joe brought down the hammer when you got home."

He was baiting me. I wasn't about to play his game. "No. Actually, he was very sweet."

Ranger narrowed his eyes. "So, you're here to tell Tank that you _will_ fill in?"

"No, I'm here to tell him that I can't, but it's not because Joe said that I couldn't."

"Really. So, you're telling me that after the fantastic time we had in Miami that you don't want to help me out?"

"I thought I was helping Tank," I shot back.

"Tank works for me. If you help him out, in essence, you are helping me out. Why are you being so defensive?"

"I'm not being defensive. I don't like your attitude."

"My attitude?" He grimaced. "Babe, you're the one standing there lying to me."

"Screw you, Ranger."

"I'd like to know what I did to warrant that answer."

"I'm sick of you always trying to make Joe look like the bad guy. He is my husband, and I love him, and you are just going to have to get used to that or get the hell out of my life."

"Fine. You want me out of your life? Get out of my building."

I could feel the heat rise up into my face.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"I think you did. My problem is I don't know if that is Stephanie talking or Morelli."

"It's me. The reason I can't help Tank is because I promised my sister that I would babysit her kids, so she could do some Christmas shopping, and to tell you the truth, I haven't really done any of my own." It was the best excuse I could come up with on short notice.

"Fair enough. I guess you need to go."

I wanted desperately to tell him I'd stay, but at this point, I needed to separate myself from him before he influenced me into doing something I had promised Joe I wouldn't do.

"Yes, my sister is waiting. Tell Tank I'm really sorry."

"Sure—unless you'd rather tell him yourself."

"Um…" I knew I was treading on dangerous ground. If they double teamed me, I wouldn't stand a chance. At that moment, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number. I decided to answer it in case it was something important, like a hospital calling about Joe. He said he was working in the office today, but when it came to police work, you could never tell what might come up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, gorgeous! How's the weather up there?"

"Diesel!" I squealed.

Ranger rolled his eyes.

"Can you call me back in like two minutes?"

"Two and two, gotcha."

"Thanks." I disconnected. "That was Diesel. He's calling me back in two minutes."

"I heard."

"How long are you going to be in town?"

"Couple days. I was hoping to be in Miami for Christmas. I haven't spent a Christmas with Julia in a long time. She was excited when she heard I was coming."

"I bet she is. Well, call me if you need to chat or anything."

I felt awkward. Until recently, I would have willingly placed myself in his arms, but now I was afraid that any move might be mistaken as a gesture of more than friendship. I think he felt it, too. He stepped forward and kissed my forehead.

"Be safe," he whispered.

The elevator doors closed. I sucked in a deep breath. I felt so torn. I loved Ranger, but I couldn't let him ruin my marriage to Joe. As soon as I got to the garage, my phone rang. I knew it would be Diesel.

"Hey, handsome!"

"Gorgeous!"

"Are you having fun in Miami?"

"I am having a blast. Who knew that popping in on you would lead to a vacation!"

"I'm glad you are having fun. I just hope you are staying out of trouble."

"Are you kidding me? My middle name is trouble!"

"You're so silly."

"I'm serious. My name is Diesel Trouble."

"And what is your last name?"

"Don't have one."

"Everyone has a last name."

"Madonna doesn't. Neither does Prince or Cher or Beyonce."

"Beyonce's last name is Knowles."

"Okay, I have a last name, but I don't use it. I mean how many guys do you know named Diesel?"

"Just one."

"See?"

I giggled. Diesel had a way about him. "So, are you calling to check up on me?"

"Actually, I was going to blow Florida tomorrow, and I thought maybe I'd stop in and see my favorite bounty hunter on my way home. What do you say? Can you accommodate?"

"Absolutely."

"You might want to check with Morelli. He wasn't too thrilled with me the last time I saw him."

"Yeah, but you got me home."

"True. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure, you want me to pick you up at the airport?"

"If it's not too much trouble. My flight gets in at eleven thirty."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow morning? Which airline?"

"U.S. Airways and the flight comes in at eleven thirty at night."

"You're kidding."

"Thanks, doll." He hung up before I could say anything more. Joe was probably going to be just a little upset. I'd break it to him at dinner at my mom's. I figured he wouldn't flip out on me in front of my family.

I decided to go to Val's. That way, I wouldn't feel so guilty about lying to Ranger.

Val answered the door looking chipper.

"Hey! Why didn't you call?"

"I was just in the neighborhood ,and I thought I would surprise you."

"Aren't you going to dinner at Mom's tonight?"

"Yeah, I was just gonna see if you needed me to babysit, so you could go Christmas shopping or something."

She twisted her head sideways. "You want to babysit my kids?"

"Yeah, sure. It will be fun."

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Where's your husband?"

"He had to go to work."

"It's Saturday."

"Crime happens every day, Val."

"Does he ever take a day off?"

"He's requested Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. He's got seniority, and he put his request in back in July."

"Well, I could go to Toys-R-Us. There was a couple of things that Angie and Mary Alice wanted that I haven't been able to get because they are always with me. Alexis is asleep. Lisa shouldn't be too much trouble. Let me jump in the shower real quick."

Val shot up the stairs and left Lisa in the living room. She was sitting on the floor watching a television show. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. There was a boy who was wearing what I could only assume was a hat with ears. Either that or he was an alien. I don't know, but he had two cohorts. One was a tiny green elephant that spoke, and the other was a yellow dog that stood on two feet and was larger than the elephant, and he spoke too. I'm not sure what the premise of the show was, but Lisa seemed to enjoy it.

Val came bounding down the stairs as she pulled a sweater over her head. She seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the house. I'm not sure why.

"At one o'clock, make sure you change the TV to channel nine, so she can watch _Bubble Guppies._ It's her favorite show. After that, put her down for a nap. She'll cry for her bottle, but I'm trying to break her from it, so only let her have a sippy cup."

"Okay."

"There's formula in the fridge for Alexis. When she wakes up, she'll be hungry. Just heat the bottle in the microwave for forty seconds and then shake it up." She took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Sure. I mean I'm practically a mother, right?"

She looked at me warily. "Right."

Val bolted out the door. The first half hour was peaceful. Lisa sat quietly and watched the rest of the show. I found out the name of the show was _Adventure Time_. It still made no sense to me. I changed the channel at one o'clock, and Lisa began jumping up and down when her favorite show came on. It was the perfect show for a two year old. It was a learning show. It taught the children colors and letter sounds and animal sounds and other assorted things a two year old should be learning.

I heard Alexis begin to cry. I figured it would be okay to leave Lisa where she was. I assumed I'd only be a minute. I went upstairs and picked up Alexis. The nasty smell of poop permeated my nostrils, and dark green muck oozed out of her diaper and down her leg.

"Yuck!" _Okay Stephanie, don't panic. It's just a dirty diaper._ I carried Alexis to the changing table and laid her down. "Okay, diapers, wipes, powder. I can do this." I grabbed a wipe and wiped the baby's leg. Then I peeled back the tab on the diaper and opened it. I started to convulse at the sight. _How can such a little thing make that much shit?_ I grabbed a wipe and swiped at the green goo. I pulled the diaper away and wiped. Then I grabbed another wipe, and another. Then I looked over, and the baby's hand was in the diaper! "Oh my God!" I pulled the diaper away, and it landed on the floor. I went to pick it up and then remembered the baby was on the table. I went back to the baby. I wanted to cry. I heard my phone ringing downstairs. "Shit!" I couldn't get to the phone. I needed to focus on the task at hand. I cleaned the baby's hand and used another five wipes to clean every last drop of stinky green poop from her body.

I finally finished diapering Alexis, and she started to cry. I was going to clean up the diaper on the floor, but her crying had me panicked. I picked her up and she stopped crying. _Okay, I can hold her for a while. No problem._

I decided I'd just leave the diaper for now. At least, Val didn't have a dog. The thought of Bob eating the diaper made me want to vomit. I carried my freshly diapered but naked baby down the stairs. When I turned into the living room, I cringed in horror. My purse had been emptied, and the contents were all over the floor including my cuffs and my pepper spray. I felt like my mother when I said a "Hail Mary" that my stun gun wasn't in there. Then Lisa turned around. She had gotten one of my ruby red lipsticks and had obviously tried to put it on her lips, only it was all over her tiny face.

"Pretty!" She exclaimed.

_Oh my God! _I immediately put Alexis down on the carpet, grabbed the contents of my purse, and jammed them back into the bag. Lisa waddled happily toward me. That's when I saw the TV. She had drawn on the TV with the lipstick. I could only assume she was putting lipstick on the Bubble Guppies.

Alexis started to cry again. I was in a panic. I didn't know which way to turn. I took the lipstick from Lisa and now she, too, started to cry.

"Jesus, what am I going to do?"

I decided that Alexis was okay on the floor. At least, she couldn't really go anywhere. I snatched up Lisa and bolted to the kitchen. I figured I could get the bottle ready for Alexis and clean up Lisa in the process. I pulled a bottle from the drain board and filled it with the formula from the pitcher in the fridge. I popped it into the microwave and hit what I though was _forty_ on the panel. I quickly pressed start and turned back to the sink.

There was a washcloth handy, so I took it and rinsed it with warm water and began to wipe the lipstick off of Lisa's face. She wasn't crying anymore, but she started to fuss as I cleaned her.

"No!" she cried.

"Yes," I said adamantly. "Too much pretty."

I finished with the washcloth and dropped it into the sink. I turned to the microwave, and the timer said there was still two minutes left. _How could that be?_

"Shit!" I opened the door to the microwave and grabbed the bottle as Lisa mimmicked me.

"Shit!" she said happily.

The bottle was scalding hot. "Fuck!" I cried out as the bottle slipped from my burning hand to the floor.

"Fuck!" Lisa repeated.

The formula spilled everywhere. That's when I lost it. Alexis was crying in the living room. Lisa was cursing in my arms. I rushed to the sink and let the cold water run over my hand as the tears streamed down my cheeks.

Lisa looked at me. "Mommy cry?"

"Yes, Mommy cry." I leaned my head again hers and let out a sob. She placed her hand on my cheek. Then my phone started to ring again. I shut off the water and rushed to get my phone. I listened to where the ringing was coming from. Alexis was still crying as I got to my knees. The sound was coming from under the couch. I dumped Lisa out of my arms and pulled out my phone. I plunked on the cushion next to her. "Hello?" I croaked.

"Hey, cupcake. How's it going?"

At that moment, I blubbered into the phone and started sobbing uncontrollably. "I-I can't do this!" I cried.

"Stephanie, what's wrong?"

"I can't be a mom!" I wailed.

"What are you talking about? Who's that crying in the background?"

"Alexis," I sniveled. "Poopy diaper—everywhere—Lisa—lipstick—everywhere." My voice made a horrible sound as I tried to suck in my breath. "Formula spilled—I burned my hand."

"Whoa, sweetheart. Where are you?"

"Val's," I sobbed.

"Are you babysitting?"

"Yes!" I hollered. "I can't do this. I think we should give the baby up for adoption."

"Hang on, cupcake. I'll be right there."

As I hung up the phone, I suddenly gained a new respect for Val. _How the hell does she do this?_ I thought to myself. A_nd this is only two! How does she do four?_

Poor little Alexis was hysterical at this point. Lisa was once again fixated on the TV, although I don't know how she could see what was going on with all the lipstick on the screen. I rose from the couch and wiped the tears from my face. My hand was burning, and the salt tears didn't help. I bent over and picked up Alexis. I hugged her tightly and stroked her dark curly hair.

"Please don't cry, Alexis. I'm doing the best I can." After another minute of me rocking back and forth, Alexis stopped sobbing, and I felt her body hitch. I picked up my purse and placed it up high on top of the bookcase. I carried Alexis into the kitchen and left Lisa on the couch. My first priority was feeding Alexis and soothing my burned hand. I knew the only way to accomplish this was to hold her the entire time. First, I ran cold water over my hand. Then I repeated the bottle process only this time, I made sure the microwave registered forty seconds.

The microwave dinged, and I carefully reached in with my good hand and cautiously touched it. It was warm. I retrieved it and shook it up. I dropped some onto the back of my hand, and it didn't feel hot. I went back to the living room and was relieved to find Lisa still planted on the couch. I only hoped that meant that she was tired. The Bubble Guppies wasn't on anymore. Now she was watching a show called _Max and Ruby, _about bunnies. It looked harmless enough. I cradled Alexis in my lap and gave her the bottle. She began to drink and seemed happy when all of a sudden, Lisa plucked it out of her mouth and took it for herself.

"Lisa! No!" I scolded as I pulled the bottle away from her. This caused her to have a fit. I had to stand up to keep Lisa from trying to rip it away from her sister. I was standing and pacing slowly back and forth. Lisa was trying to climb me as she clinged to my legs in an effort to get me to stop while she screamed. I was about to lose it when I head Joe call out.

"Sweetheart?"

"In here!"

He entered the living room and immediately snatched up Lisa. She was kicking and screaming.

"It's time for her nap, but Val said not to give her a bottle. She's only allowed a sippy cup."

"Okay."

Joe tucked Lisa into his side and carried her into the kitchen. "Whoa! What happened in here?"

I followed him. "I burned my hand on the bottle because I hit four hundred seconds instead of forty."

He turned back to me. "Let me see."

I held out my hand. It was red, and there were tiny blisters on my fingers.

"Ouch. I hope you learned a lesson from this."

"I did. Make sure you put the numbers in right."

He kissed my hand. "See? This is a learning experience. You won't make the same mistake with our baby."

Lisa was quieted momentarily, but now she started to fuss again.

Joe pulled a sippy cup from the cabinet and checked the fridge. "What am I supposed to give her?"

"She's too old for formula, so I guess either milk or apple juice."

"Juice, juice!" Lisa said enthusiastically.

"Juice it is," Joe replied. He filled the cup with juice. "Where should I put her down?

"I have no idea."

"Couch," he announced. He lay on his side on the couch and placed Lisa between his body and the back of the couch. He sighed. "Come on, angel, let's take a nap." I was amazed at how good he was with her. I finished feeding Alexis and was trying to get her to burp. She burped easily. I wasn't sure if I was good at it or I just got lucky. I sat her in the high chair and gave her a rattle. That seemed to make her happy. I was on the floor cleaning up the formula when Joe walked in.

"Lisa's asleep. Need help?"

"Yeah, upstairs. I must warn you, it's not pretty."

"Diaper explosion?"

"She put her hand in it and I panicked. I was trying to pull it away and…"

He knelt down next to me. "Did you learn anything?"

"Yes, I learned to make sure the diaper is out of the baby's reach."

He tapped me on the nose. "You're going to be an awesome mother. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you learn from you mistakes."

"So does a chimpanzee."

"Well you are my favorite monkey."

He got up and headed for the stairs.

"Joe?"

"What?"

"Why are you so good at this?"

"Have you seen the number of kids in my family? I can't tell you how many times I got roped into babysitting duty."

"Well, I think you're awesome."

"Keep that thought. Cleaning up shit is going to cost you."

I smiled at the thought.

13


	41. Chapter 41

**Sorry it has taken me so long to post this chapter. I blame a number of things on this. First I wrote a chapter of Nate's Diary, and I got into it and continued to write a second chapter instead of switching to writing Plum Crazy. Second, my book was finally released, so I've been busy running here there and everywhere trying to sell it. Finally, Hurricane Sandy hit close to my heart. I AM a Jersey girl who has been transplanted to Virginia Beach. I have many friends from high school who are still living in north Jersey as well as some down the shore. I felt compelled to do my part, and I spent 4 days in NJ. I drove my car crammed with donations, and my husband & I volunteered our weekend helping in Jersey City as well as the Food Bank in Hillside. It was a very rewarding experience. I made a few new friends and was able to meet up with some old friends as well.**

**So, please forgive me and without further adieu, **

HAVE A MORELLI CHRISTMAS

I was in the middle of an awesome dream starring Channing Tatum. He was giving me one hell of a lap dance when I was suddenly pulled from my erotic fantasy by the ringtone on my phone. I begrudgingly picked it up off the nightstand.

"Hello?" The fact that I was annoyed at the interruption was apparent in the tone of my voice.

"Hey, babe."

I expected it to be my mother or Val, so I was caught off guard by the sound of Ranger's voice. "Ranger. Oh, hey."

"You okay? You sound distressed."

"No, I'm fine. I was asleep."

"It's nine o'clock, babe."

"In case you forgot, I don't work."

"I can fix that. I have a job for you anytime you want it. Just say the word."

"Ha-ha, very funny."

"So, Morelli's still keeping you as his concubine."

"No!" I snapped back.

"Whoa, babe. It was a joke."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to admit that I would love to work for Ranger and his boys.

"Did you call me to bust my ass?"

"No. I called you to wish you a Merry Christmas and to ask you if you would accept a Christmas gift from me."

"You didn't have to buy me a gift."

"I know. If it's okay with you, I was going to have Tank deliver it tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"Carlos, I don't want you spending a lot of money on me."

"Now, would I do that?"

"Please, I don't want you outshining Joe in the gift department."

"You shouldn't worry about that. He's already given you what I couldn't."

"You mean his name?"

"No, I could have given you that. I meant the belly you're sporting."

I immediately put my hand over my protruding baby bump. A warm feeling came over me as I felt a gentle kick.

"Are you going to see Julie?"

"Yes, I'm picking her up at five o'clock and taking her to dinner. I will return her in time for eight o'clock mass. Tomorrow, I have been invited to their house for dinner."

"Are you nervous?"

"No. Should I be?"

"Well, your ex is remarried, and he's your replacement. Don't you wonder if you are better than him?"

"No. We are different. He's better suited to the life she leads."

"I'll bet she's nervous."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I'll bet physically, her husband doesn't compare to you."

"I don't think that matters to her."

"It would matter to me."

"Does it matter to you? Do you compare me and Morelli on some sort of sliding scale?"

I was grateful that he couldn't see me because my face was bright red. I formulated what I wanted to say before I spoke.

"You and Joe are the hottest guys I know. Why do you think it took me so long to make a choice?"

"So, are you telling me that the fact that you got pregnant had nothing to do with your decision?"

"How do you know I didn't get pregnant on purpose?"

"Did you?"

I didn't, but he didn't need to know that. This was about allowing him to believe that I had made my decision before I got knocked up.

"Let's just say that Joe wanted to marry me a few years ago, and I balked because I wasn't ready. Then when I _was_ ready, he wouldn't ask me. I guess he was afraid of being shot down twice. Maybe the real question is did he finally ask me to marry him because he knocked me up?"

"You don't think he loves you?"

"No, I know he loves me. He just doesn't like the choices I've made regarding my career."

"Maybe, I'm better suited to the life you lead."

"You're also very controlling."

"Are going to tell me that Morelli is not controlling?"

I had been waiting for this question. This was a question I had asked myself a long time ago.

"You both have controlling personalities. Here's the difference between you. When Joe makes a demand, it usually ends up in a fight. He explodes; I explode, and then one of us concedes. More often than not, it's him. If you and I were together and you made a demand and I protested, you wouldn't entertain an argument; you would use your boys to enforce your demand."

"You don't know that."

"Oh, come on! That's how you deal with everything! 'It's my way or the highway.' That's your modus operandi."

"Babe."

"See? You don't want to fight, so you use the 'babe' thing to get out of it."

"I don't want to fight because it is a moot point. You chose Morelli."

"And it kills you that you lost."

He was silent. I had obviously hit a nerve.

"I'm sorry."

"Stephanie, I should let you go. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas."

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Say 'hi' to Julie for me."

"I will. I hope you like the gift I got for you."

"Carlos?"

"Yes?"

"I love you and Merry Christmas."

"Thanks for the gift."

"I didn't get you anything."

"You said you love me. That's all I need. Call me soon." With that, he disconnected. I hung up the phone, and a tear slid down my cheek. _Dammit! Why do I still feel so much for him? _I wiped the tear from my cheek. I dialed the phone and waited.

"Morelli," he answered stoically.

"Hi."

"Hey, sweetheart. What are you up to?"

"Well, I was asleep, but Ranger called me to wish me a Merry Christmas. He said he's sending me a gift via Tank."

"Well, isn't that sweet of him? It better not be a Porsche."

"Don't be silly. He wouldn't get me a car—would he?"

"I'll kill him."

"Joseph, I told him not to get anything extravagant. I didn't call to make you angry. I wanted to know what time you are going to be home."

"Well, if all remains peaceful, I should get off at one o'clock."

"Good, that will give us a few hours to spend together before we have to be at your mother's."

"What time is she expecting us?"

"She said four."

"Okay, do I need to pick up anything on the way home?"

"No. I want to stop by the bond office this morning and give them their gifts. I'll pick up something from the bakery on the way home. Anything special you want?"

"Nope. Just the girl that used to work behind the cannoli case."

I laughed. "One plump cannoli girl coming up!"

"I love you, sweetheart."

"Thank you for the gift."

"I didn't give you anything yet."

"You said you love me. That's all I need."

"Well, shit. I might as well return the other gifts I got you."

I knew he expected me to protest, but I didn't. The truth was, at that moment, I had everything I needed: the love of a very good man.

I pulled up to the bond office. It was a dreary, overcast day. I wished it would snow, but it was in the low forties. I could see inside the office. It looked as though the gang was all there. I couldn't miss Lula. She was wearing an elf hat and pointed ears. I grabbed my bag full of presents and exited the car. As I opened the door, they all turned toward me.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" Lula announced. "We thought you forgot about us!"

I laughed. "As if anyone could ever forget you! Look at that outfit!" The elf costume was complete with pine green tights that didn't do much for her meaty thighs and a pair of red and green slippers with curly toes.

"I bought this off of a site selling costumes from movie sets. This is from 'Elf.'"

"How did you get into it?"

"What do you mean? It fits me perfectly!"

Connie shot me a look. The truth was Lula was crammed into that outfit like a bratwurst. If she sat down, there was a good chance, the seams would burst. I looked at the spread of holiday food that was laid out. It was obvious that Lula had brought the fried chicken from Cluck in a Bucket. The lasagna had Vinnie's wife written all over it. She always brought her lasagna whenever there was a get together, even if it was a bar-b-que. The funny thing was it always went because it was so damned good. Connie was in charge of deserts. She was always in charge of deserts. Today, it was an assortment of homemade Christmas cookies.

Mattie came out of Vinnie's office.

"Princess!" He pulled me into his arms and gave me a heartfelt hug.

"Matedor! How have you been?"

"I've been good."

Another man I had never seen before exited the office behind Mattie. He was tall and slender and older, in his mid to late forties. He had a full head of gray hair and silver rimmed glasses.

He commented immediately. "Wow, who's this?"

Mattie was quick to explain. "This is Stephanie. She used to work here."

"Oh, yeah, you're that chick!"

"Excuse me?"

"You blew up the funeral home and a bunch of cars and stuff. I follow you on Utube."

"You what?"

"Sure. There's a guy who updates your page. I haven't seen anything in a while though."

"Probably because Stephanie doesn't work as a bounty hunter anymore. She got married, and she's going to be a mother."

"Right. There was a poll on Utube about that, too."

"You mean whether it's a boy or a girl?" Mattie asked.

"No, the poll is about who the father is."

"What?" I was horrified. "Who's doing the posting?"

"I don't know. He goes by the name Bountiful Hunter."

I shot a look at Mattie.

"Don't look at me! I'm not Bountiful Hunter. Sounds more like your stalker guy."

"But he's in jail," I reminded him.

"Well, that would explain the sudden stop in posts," Connie surmised.

"Let's not think about it. This is supposed to be a party!" Mattie said.

At that moment, Vinnie exited his office. He was dressed to the nines, and he was carrying to bottle of liquor. "Business is officially closed until the twenty sixth," Vinnie announced. "Who wants a drink?"

"I'm down," Connie replied as she pulled a stack of cups off of her desk.

I noticed Lula wasn't shoving food into her mouth, and she seemed quiet. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you're not eating."

"I'm saving room for dinner. I got a date."

"You have a date on Christmas Eve?"

"Un huh."

"That's crazy!"

"There's this guy. I met him at Cluck in a Bucket. He said he always sees me go in there. He said I was pretty."

_Oh boy._

"We started talkin'. We always meet for lunch on Tuesdays."

"How long have you been meeting this guy?"

"About two months. His name is Terrance. He said that he told his mother that he's got a girlfriend, and he really doesn't. He asked me if I would go with him to his mother's and pretend to be his girl."

"Is he paying you?"

"No."

"You lie," Vinnie blurted out. "You said he bought you the dress and the shoes to wear to his mothers."

She placed her hands on her hips. "So?"

"So, that's payment. He wants to get into your pants, hooker."

I couldn't help but think back to my day in Florida with Ranger. He had bought me a dress and shoes. _Did he want to get in my pants? _I thought to myself. I knew the answer to that question.

"I'm not hookin' no more," she said defiantly.

"It's not payment!" I blurted out.

Everyone turned and looked at me. I had to come up with an explanation for my outburst. _Think fast, Stephanie. _And I did. "Maybe he wants to make sure she looks a certain way for his mother, you know…"

"Presentable?" Connie asked.

I just stared at her not knowing how to answer. It was obvious to everyone except Lula that her wardrobe was outrageous.

"I have the dress in the car. Do you want to see it?" Lula asked.

"Yeah. Bring in the dress," the new guy replied.

Lula marched her elfin self out of the office.

I turned to the new guy. "Do you have a name?"

"Sure. Who do you want me to be?"

The last thing I needed was another guy hitting on me. I was about to explode when Mattie moved in. "Stephanie, this is Michael. He's new."

I stuck out my hand. "Is Mattie training you?"

"Nah. I used to do this in Florida. My girlfriend got a transfer to New Jersey, and I followed her here."

"Really? What does she do?"

"Lingerie buyer for Macy's."

"Son of a bitch!"

"Excuse me?"

Before I could explain my outburst, Lula returned with a gold sequined sheath that was both short and low cut. I tried to keep my mouth from dropping open.

"He bought that for you?" I asked.

"Yep. I told him I was a size twelve."

"Does it stretch?" Mattie asked, pulling on the dress.

"Try it on," Vinnie suggested.

"Fine. I will." Lula tugged the dress out of Mattie's hand, marched into Vinnie's office, and shut the door.

Vinnie reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Ten bucks says she can't zip it up."

"I'm not taking that bet," Connie said as she picked up the bottle of bourbon and poured herself a drink. Mattie followed suit and poured himself a drink as well. He was in the middle of taking a gulp when Lula emerged from Vinnie's office. Mattie took one look at her and spit out the mouthful he was about to swallow.

"See? It fits just fine!" she said proudly.

I had never seen a sausage in gold lame wrapping—until now. She had rolls of fat in the front and rolls of fat in the back.

"Turn around," Connie ordered.

Lula turned. The zipper was shut, but the seam of the dress had torn away from the zipper.

"It's ripped!" I blurted out.

The guys started laughing. Mattie turned to Vinnie. "The zipper is shut. You owe me."

"I owe you nothing," he grumbled.

Lula craned her neck in an effort to see the back of the dress. "Aw, shit. Cheap ass dress," she scowled. "Connie, can you fix it?"

"Not without six inches of ugly gold sequined material. You look like a Bond girl gone wrong."

Mattie cracked up. "A Bond girl," he started to laugh again. "Get it? James Bond, bail bonds."

Michael laughed, too. "Good one, Connie."

Connie ignored them and kept her attention on Lula. "Honestly, girl, you are not a size twelve."

"I must have gained a few pounds since the summer," she said coyly.

"Ya think?" Vinnie chimed in.

"What am I going to do?" she lamented.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea. "Why don't you wear the dress that you wore to my engagement dinner? You know—the pink one?"

"That dress? It was so boring. I wore it so I wouldn't outshine you."

"You were beautiful in that dress."

"I looked like Queen Latifah."

"Queen Latifah is beautiful. Besides, aren't you in your pink phase?"

"Well, yeah."

"I agree, you looked very nice in that dress," Connie reiterated.

"Okay, if you think so."

"Yes!" Connie and I both said in unison.

By the time I got home, Joe was waiting for me. I hung up my coat at the door, turned around, and Joe was standing there wearing a red bow—and nothing else. I burst out laughing when I saw him.

"What?" he said. He was holding his arms out and trying to hold back his smile. "I thought you'd like one of your Christmas presents a little early."

"Joseph, what if I wasn't alone?"

"I was looking out the window when you pulled up."

"Ah, I see." He looked so cute, but I kept my composure. I thought I'd tease him for a bit longer before I attacked him.

"Well?"

"Well what?" I said innocently.

He struck that pose that always got to me: the hip up, knee bent, and both hands on his hips like a gunslinger. "Don't you want to open your present?"

"That depends. Does it have an expiration date?"

Joe looked puzzled. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, I'm one of those girls who likes to play with her toys as soon as I open them and then again every day for a very long time before I get bored with them."

Joe sauntered up and kissed my neck. "You'll never get bored with this toy because it's a special toy. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because it grows on you."

He nibbled on my neck. My nipples became erect. "Yeah?"

Joe slid his hand under my sweater and caressed my breasts. "It's growing right now," he whispered.

"Where's Bob?" I murmured as I reached down and grabbed a hold of his blossoming erection.

"Back yard."

"So—we can do it right here?—in front of the Christmas tree?" His lips were tracing the nape of my neck, and I was quickly losing my control.

"Cupcake, we can do it _in_ the tree if you want."

I kicked off my shoes, and Joe was only too happy to unzip my pants and slide them to my ankles. He sank to his knees and helped me step out of them. As he slowly rose to his feet, he stared into my eyes.

"Stephanie, I love you so very much, and I want you to know that this is the best Christmas I've ever had."

"Joe, need I remind you that it's not even Christmas yet?"

"Well, if Christmas Eve is this good, then Christmas Day is going to be off the charts." He kissed my collarbone and then lifted my sweater over my head. I raised my arms to aid him. "You promised your mother we'd be there by four o'clock."

"I promise to finish by then."

I let out a giggle, and Joe pressed his lips to mine. The next hour was spent kissing, caressing, and making love. Joe was right. It was the best Christmas ever, not because we made love; we had done that many times before in Christmases past. It was because we made love as husband and wife. Joe didn't feel the need to hold back on his emotions. There were no "what if" moments. He was mine and I was his. He had no reservations about telling me how much he loved me. I felt like the princess whose knight in shining armor _finally _came.

We ended up getting out of the house much later than I had anticipated. I hated being late to his mom's. I didn't want her to think that she wasn't important to me. I looked over at Joe, and he was smiling.

"You'd better wipe that grin off of your face, or she'll know why we were late."

He smiled even brighter. "And?"

I smacked him on the shoulder. "Joseph! I don't want your mother to hate me!"

"How can she hate the woman who's made her boy this happy?"

He had a valid point, but I still felt uneasy. We entered the house thirty five minutes late. As usual, the house was crammed with relatives, most of them with the last name Morelli. Technically, I was a Morelli, too, but I still felt like a Plum: a purple fruit in a sea of Italian vegetables. Joe left me in the living room and made a beeline for the kitchen in search of his mother.

A minute later, Mrs. Morelli entered the living room with the elder Mrs. Morelli in tow. Angie alone was terrifying enough, but Angie and Bella together were a force to be reckoned with. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as the fear crept up rendering me frozen like a statue. _Stand up! _I said to myself.

"Stephanie!" Angie called out as she approached me. She didn't sound angry, but then again, she was surrounded by relatives.

_Oh boy. _I found the courage to stand up to await the onslaught.

Angie threw her arms around me. "Merry Christmas!" she crooned. "How is my newest daughter-in-law?"

"Um—okay?"

Bella grabbed my arm with her bony hand. "Come in the kitchen. I am making one of Joseph's favorite desserts. I'll show you how to make it."

Grandma Bella dragged me down the hall toward the kitchen with Angie close behind. I passed Joe on the way. I gave him a pleading look. He was still smiling.

"I love you, sweetheart," he said as he stepped up and kissed me on the cheek.

As soon as he pulled his lips away, Angie pushed me forward from behind. I was being railroaded by the Morelli matriarchs into learning how to cook or bake or whatever they had in mind. Once they were in the kitchen, they released me.

Grandma Bella squared off and faced me. "Do you know what Joseph's favorite dessert is?"

I'd known Joe for five years, and as far as I knew, desserts were low on his list of priorities unless you counted beer—or me. Bella looked at me obviously expecting an answer.

I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Cheesecake?"

"Oh, heavens, no!" My mother-in-law replied. "My Joseph loves cannoli's."

I did a mental head slap. Of course he did. He came into the bakery so many years ago to buy a cannoli. He had gotten what he wanted including me behind the cannoli case. I smiled at the memory of the Italian stallion taking my virginity. It took a lot of years, but he was mine now. I thought if I learned how to make a cannoli, I could surprise him when he least expected it.

Making cannolis was a lot harder than I had hoped. First we had to make the dough which included Marsala wine. I couldn't drink in my condition, but Bella and Angie could and did. They showed me how to use a Margarita glass to cut the dough into perfect sized circles. Then we wrapped the circles around metal tubes and fried them in a deep fryer. So, I was already disappointed because I didn't have the metal tubes needed or a rolling pin, or the deep fryer for that matter. The filling was pretty simple to make. We made two dozen cannolis which was just enough for the gang that had gathered for the occasion.

I was finally released from the kitchen, and I found Joe sitting in the den with Anthony, Mooch, Uncle Dominic, Uncle Lou, Uncle Manny, and Cathy's husband, whose name I couldn't remember. They were watching an old movie called "Married to the Mob." I figured the big draw for them was Michelle Pfeiffer, who I had to admit was hot as hell.

Joe acknowledged me as soon as I entered the room.

"Hey, cupcake. Did you have fun in the kitchen?"

"A blast," I said with feigned sarcasm. The truth was I _did _enjoy cooking with my in-laws. They didn't judge me or bring up subjects that I didn't want to talk about. They were nice—and sweet, not at all like I had pictured them to be today. I was totally expecting to be grilled about my little trip to Florida. My own mother had grilled me for days after my return.

There were a dozen empty beer bottles lined up on the coffee table. I stepped forward and began to gather them up. Joe watched me in silence. As I walked toward the door with beer bottles trapped in my arms, Joe spoke up. "Sweetheart, would you bring me another?"

"I'll take one, too," Mooch chimed in.

Anthony jumped on the bandwagon as well. "Me, too."

I turned to them in disgust. "I'll just bring a six pack."

"There's a good girl," Uncle Manny replied.

I rolled my eyes and left the room.

"I used to be one of the guys," I grumbled to myself as I walked back down the hall. "Now, I'm just a friggin' maid."

Cathy saw me struggling with the bottles and came running to help. She pulled four of the bottles from my arms causing the others to shift and one of the bottles crashed to the floor. "Shit!" I cried.

"Don't worry. It's my fault. I'll clean it up," Cathy offered.

"How do you do it?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"How do you remain subservient to your husband?"

She looked surprised and maybe a bit embarrassed. "I don't know. He—he takes care of me. So, I take care of him," she replied.

"Well, I don't need anyone to take care of me," I shot back. I dropped the remaining beer bottles into the trash and marched to the refrigerator.

Cathy grabbed a broom and began sweeping up the glass. "Well, I'm not a badass bounty hunter like you."

"I'm not a badass," I shot back.

"Well, I don't have options like you do."

"Of course you have options. Everyone has options."

"I don't have other guys who would snap me up if I left my husband."

I could only imagine the look on my face when she said that because she immediately offered an apology.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

I grabbed the six-pack and slammed the refrigerator door. I was about to explode, but I held it in. It was Christmas Eve, and I wasn't about to get into a brawl with my sister-in-law. She could have her little dig—for now. I paced back to the den reeling in my emotions as I walked. I could stop my words from coming out, but I couldn't keep my face from showing the anger and frustration I was feeling. Luckily, Joe recognized that look immediately upon my return.

"Steph, come sit next to me."

I plunked down the beer. "Is that an order?" I said with a scowl.

"Whoa, calm down, honey," Uncle Manny retorted.

"Don't call me honey," I snapped.

Joe stood immediately. "Stephanie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to neglect you. I'd like you to sit next to me so we can spend time together. I love you."

Uncle Manny chuckled. "She's got you wrapped."

Joe sat down and pulled me up against him. "Yes, she does, and I hope she keeps me wrapped for a very long time."

I looked at Uncle Manny and smirked.

Joe kissed my forehead. I laid my head on his shoulder. Uncle Manny silently rose and left the room. I could only surmise that Uncle Manny wasn't used to having anyone challenge him. I was proud of my Joe.

Dinner was okay. Grandma Bella had me sit next to her which was a good thing because no one would say anything derogatory about me and have to challenge the Morelli matriarchs. I noticed that Cathy and Uncle Manny both sat as far from me as possible, and that was fine by me.

After dinner, we all convened to the living room. Everyone had been given someone to buy for with the exception of the children. Only Anthony and Mooch still had kids of school age, and of course, Cathy had the new baby. Everyone bought something for the children. It was tradition to let the kids open their gifts first, and then they took off to other parts of the house while the adults opened their gifts. Joe and I had decided that buying real gifts was too risky considering we didn't know the children on that level, so we got each kid a twenty-five dollar gift card to Regal cinemas. We bought a cute little outfit and a singing Elmo doll for the baby.

My secret Santa gift was for Anthony's wife, Angelina. I found out that she had a penchant for designer purses. I took Lula with me shopping knowing if anyone could help me out, it would be her. I thought it odd considering Kaiser was in the designer purse business. Angelina was absolutely thrilled with the very expensive Dooney & Bourke 'Davis Tassel' shopper that I managed to get on sale at Nordstrom's. Joe's secret Santa gift was for of all people, Uncle Manny. He got him some Cuban Cigars. Apparently, Uncle Manny liked to smoke them even though his wife wasn't a fan of them.

Mooch gave his gift to Joe. Joe opened his gift that was wrapped in a shirt box. I thought it might be a sweater. It wasn't. Inside the box was a New Jersey Devils jersey and a pair of tickets to an upcoming game.

"Of course, you're taking me with you, right? Mooch asked.

Joe nodded his head. "Absolutely!"

Joe got up, and Mooch met him halfway. They gave each other a manly hug. A hockey game meant guys' night out. I liked Mooch, but I didn't like the idea of my husband traipsing around in a bar late at night after a hockey game.

My gift was next. Grandma Bella rose from her seat and handed me my gifts. There were two instead of the traditional single gift.

"You got me two?" I said.

"Well, technically, they go together," she explained.

I couldn't imagine what in the world she could have gotten me.

I opened the smaller box first. It was a box of metal rings used for making cannolis. I laughed. "You didn't!" I quickly opened the second box. It was a deep fryer to cook the cannoli shells in. I looked up at her. Then I shot a quick look at Joe. He seemed unsure whether or not I liked the gift. "Thank you!" I crooned. "I love it!" I rose and hugged Bella.

When all the gifts were open, Angie announced, "Time for dessert. I want you all to know that the newest Mrs. Morelli helped to make the cannolis."

Joe turned to me in surprise. "You did?"

I smiled sheepishly.

"She was wonderful!" Grandma replied.

Joe pulled me into his arms and kissed me with passion in front of everyone. I was totally embarrassed. He pulled away, and I could feel my face burning.

"Come on, Stephanie," Angelina ordered. "You can give your husband the first one."

_Great. What if they suck? _I thought to myself.

I followed the ladies to the kitchen. They carried the coffee cups to the dining room table and made me carry the tray with the cannolis. I presented the tray to Joe, and he chose one at random. He examined it. "Looks good," he observed.

"Taste it," I said with uncertainty.

He lifted the cannoli to his mouth and bit into it.

I swallowed hard as he chewed it slowly.

"Oh, Steph. This is excellent!" he mumbled, and then he swallowed and quickly took another bite.

Grandma Bella clapped her hands together. "Buono!" She shouted. With that, the rest of the family got up and helped themselves to coffee and cannolis.

We left the house as a group a little after eleven to attend midnight mass. The Morellis had a two entire pews saved with their name on it. Angie donated a sizable amount of money to the church to ensure her family had a place to sit for the mass.

That evening, as I snuggled in my husband's arms, I felt really good about being a Morelli. Uncle Manny and Cathy seemed like small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. I would just have to prove to both of them that I could be a strong independent woman and still be a good wife and mother.

Christmas morning, Joe and I got up together. I showered and he went downstairs to start the coffee. When I came down, he came to me. "Did you see what's outside?"

"No."

He had a serious look on his face. "I think you should look outside."

He walked to the front door and opened it. I passed him and looked outside. In the driveway was an SUV with a big red bow on it…..A black SUV.

12


	42. Chapter 42

**Wow, I can't even believe it's December, and this year is almost over. Considering the fact that I've been walking around with a piece of my heart missing since April, I find it very surprising that my year has gone as well as it has. If I had to make any changes it would be that I find that piece of heart and put it back in my chest where he belongs. **

**Also, I'd figure out a way to promote my books to a large audience. Unfortunately, promotion costs beaucoup bucks, and I live just this side of poor. So, if you happen to be one of those who has read my books, spread the word, leave a review on Amazon, 'like' For the Love of Brynn on Facebook. I just need to sell enough books to publish the next one. In the meantime, I'll keep writing here on FanFic. Plum Crazy and Nate's Diary keep me pretty busy. I'll try my best to get another chapter out by Christmas. Thank you all for the support, and I love you all!**

MY MORELLI

The sight of that shiny black vehicle screamed Carlos Manoso. I panicked. "Joe, I told him not to get anything extravagant."

He ignored my plea and continued to gaze at the vehicle. "They only had a black one and a red one on the lot. I thought black was the way to go."

My panic dissipated and shock took over my brain. "You?—You bought me a car?"

"Well, it's not as grand as a Porsche," he said nonchalantly.

"You're so stupid! I love it!" I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with fierce intensity.

When I pulled back, Joe licked his lips. "And Christmas just keeps getting better."

"I want to see it!" I broke away and started down the steps of the porch in my bare feet.

Joe grabbed me by the arm to stop me. "Sweetheart, please put on some shoes and a coat. I don't want you getting sick."

"Fine." I trudged back into the house and grabbed my sneakers. I began to pull them on when Joe returned from living room with a pair of socks. He knelt at my feet and pulled off my sneaker. He gently slid the sock over my toes, down the arch of my foot, and around my heel. He did the same with the other sock. I don't know why, but my emotions got the best of me, and a tear trickled down my cheek. I sniveled and wiped it away just as Joe looked up at me.

"Sweetheart, why are you crying?"

"You've been so good to me, and I've been so crappy in return."

"No you haven't. I've been demanding, and I know it isn't easy for you to walk away from all the things that were a part of your life when you were single. Sometimes, I feel like I snipped your wings, and for that, I'm sorry."

Joe pulled me into his arms and held me tight. He whispered in my ear. "I know you want to work for Ranger, and I know that he would offer you protection from Kaiser. I've just been so damned jealous."

"Oh, Joe. I love you," I croaked.

"Come on. Let's check out your new car."

"What year is it?" I asked as he pulled me to my feet.

"2012."

"It's brand new?"

"Yeah, what did you think?"

"I haven't own a brand new car in six years!"

"Well, you're my brand new wife, so I thought you should have a brand new car."

"A Jeep Grand Cherokee! It's gorgeous!"

Joe opened the driver's side door, and I climbed in. He walked around to the passenger side and angled his way into the seat. He held up the keys. "Want to take her for a spin?"

"We need to lock up the house," I reminded him.

"All taken care of."

"Where should we go?"

"You're in the driver's seat. Take her wherever you want."

I thought about where to go. I'd see my parents later, so I thought that would be a wasted trip. I decided to go to my old apartment to see Mattie. I knew he would be excited for me. We pulled into the parking lot.

"Have you got your phone on you?" I asked.

Joe always had his phone on him. He pulled it from his pocket and handed it to me. I dialed quickly.

"Hello?" Mattie answered obviously unsure of who it was.

"Merry Christmas, Matador! Come see the Christmas gift that Joe got for me!"

"Now?"

"Yes, now! Just look out the window!"

A minute later, the window to my living room slid open, and Mattie peered out at us.

"Wow! That's awesome! Hold on! I'll be right down!"

A few minutes later, Mattie emerged from the back door with Connie in tow. I had no idea that they had taken their relationship to that level.

"Oh my God! You two are really a couple!"

"We try to keep it on the down low," Mattie replied.

"Yeah, we don't need any crap from Vinnie and Lula," Connie explained.

"Well, I think it's great."

"Pretty nice ride," Mattie said as he gave the SUV the once over. Mattie and Joe exchanged salutations and started talking about the car.

Connie turned to me. "So, Morelli got you a car. Kind of a strange twist considering Ranger gave you about a dozen cars."

"They were loaners," I said in my feeble attempt at a defense.

"I wonder how he's doing." Connie said almost as if she was talking to herself.

"He's doing fine. I talked to him yesterday. He's spending the holiday with his daughter at his ex's house."

"Awkward!" she sang out.

"I know, right?"

"Almost as awkward as you still keeping tabs on him."

"Hey, he called me. He wanted to wish me a Merry Christmas and tell me that he's sending me a gift via Tank."

"Oh, Christ! I'll bet it's a car."

"It's not a car."

"How do you know?"

"I don't, but he wouldn't get me a car. I'm a married lady."

Connie laughed.

A sudden rush of wind blew the leaves in a circular motion almost as if they were laughing at me, too. I shivered because I was wearing only my lightweight jacket and my lightweight sweats. Joe spied me pulling my coat tight to my neck.

"Sweetheart, it's freezing out here, and Bob is waiting to take his walk."

"Right and I still have to give you your Christmas present."

He kissed my cheek. "I can't wait."

We said our good-byes and headed back to the house. Joe took Bob for a nice walk while I cooked bacon and eggs and toasted bagels for breakfast. Afterwards, we convened in front of the tree, and we exchanged more gifts. First we gave Bob his gift in the hopes it would keep him busy. It was a nine inch peanut butter knotted chew bone. He sat in the hall and immediately went to work on it.

Joe and I bought each other clothes and assorted toiletries. The last gift I opened was a pretty red sweater-dress. My only worry was that it would definitely show off my baby bump.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Yes, it's pretty—but it's probably form fitting."

"And?" He was clearly clueless.

"And look at this," I lamented as I put my hands over my pooch.

"Sweetheart, you are beautiful, and that's my baby in there. Why wouldn't you want to show that off?"

I smiled weakly. I wished I could share the excitement of being fat. "I'll wear it today—to my Mom's."

He took my face in his hands, and he pressed his lips to mine. "Thank you."

I saved my big gift to him for last. It was pushed all the way to the back of the tree. I retrieved it and handed it to Joe. I was holding my breath as he opened it.

A smile crossed his face as he realized what it was. "Stephanie, I came this close to buying a laptop just last week," he said holding his fingers just an inch apart. "I never thought you would get me one for Christmas. I mean—I didn't think in a million years that you would get me this."

"Does that mean you like it?" I asked, still unsure.

"It's perfect—like you."

Once again, Joe pulled me into his arms and kissed me gently on the lips. "Now, I have a dilemma. You know that gift that grows on you?"

"I vaguely remember," I joked.

"Well, I know how much you like to play with your toys and I wouldn't want to disappoint you, but I really want to play with my new laptop."

I tried to look shocked. "You mean I lost to an electronic device?"

Joe burst out laughing. "God, I hope I never say that."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "I guess you had better not turn me down then."

"Are you demanding?"

"Now?—No. I need to do something with my hair and make-up, so we can get to my Mom's."

"Sure," he replied. "I'll take my shower when you're done." Joe immediately pulled the laptop out of the box. I left him and Bob each to their new toys and took to the stairs. After my hair and face looked presentable, I realized that I had left the sweater-dress under the tree, so I went downstairs wearing only my bra and panties to retrieve it.

Joe stopped what he was doing and directed his attention at me. "Hey, Lula called. She said to tell you that she was engaged."

I spun around quickly and faced him. "What?"

"She said she was engaged."

"To who?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. I told her you were in the shower and you'd call her back."

"Lula calls on Christmas day and says she's engaged and you don't even care to ask who the guy is? Why didn't you just come and get me?"

"You were busy," he said flatly.

"Ugh!" I answered in disgust. The truth was he didn't feel like walking away from his new laptop.

I bent over and picked up the phone off the coffee table.

"Are you going to get dressed?" he asked.

"No. I'm going to call Lula. _You_ go take a shower," I said in a stern voice.

"What are you mad at me for?"

I didn't want to argue with Joe on Christmas day, so I walked around to the back of the couch, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. "I'm not. I just want to know what's going on with Lula." I plunked into Joe's lounger and dialed Lula's number. The phone rang and rang and then went to voicemail. "Damn it!" I opted not to leave a voice mail and disconnected instead.

Joe closed his laptop and rose off the couch. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He left me sulking in the chair. No sooner had Joe gotten into the shower when the doorbell rang. I was still in my underwear. _Maybe it's Lula with her mystery fiancé, _I thought to myself.

I peeked out the window. There were two vehicles parked out front. One I recognized as Tank's Porsche. The other was also a Porsche. _Shit! He bought me a Porsche, _I surmised, figuring that Tank wouldn't be able to get home after he delivered the car to me unless he had another car and driver at his disposal. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I muttered. I ran to the tree and pulled the sweater-dress from the box and slipped it over my head.

I wrenched the door open ready to give Tank what for. I was surprised to find Tank holding a large wrapped box, flanked by Cal and Hal each carrying a gift as well.

"Merry Christmas!" they chimed in unison.

"Is that Ranger's gift?" I asked pointing at the sweater box sized gift Tank was carrying.

"Yes. He asked me to deliver it to you."

"We have gifts for you, too," Cal added.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on in, guys."

Tank entered the house followed by Hal. Cal stopped in the doorway and gave me a big bear hug. "You look awesome. Red is your color."

"Thanks. Take off your coats. Have a seat."

They each took off their coats and hung them by the door. They weren't dressed in Rangeman black. They were wearing their street clothes. Tank had dark jeans and a flannel shirt. He reminded me of a lumberjack; Paul Bunyan came to mind. Hal and Cal were both wearing lighter colored jeans. Hal was wearing a T-shirt with an Ed Hardy logo. Cal was wearing a baby blue V-neck sweater. It went nicely with his eyes.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"Whatya got?" Tank asked.

"Let's see. I have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, spiced apple cider; I can make it hot or cold, beer, or bourbon. I don't have any coke though—been trying to stay away from soda."

"It's too early for alcohol. The cider sounds good. Can you warm it up?"

"Of course I can. I even have the cinnamon sticks."

"I'll have that, too," Cal chimed in.

"Hal?"

"Sure," he replied.

I dashed off to the kitchen and prepared the hot apple cider. When I returned to the living room, I found that Joe had joined the others.

"Sweetheart, you look beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you, snookums," I teased.

Tank cracked a smile. "Snookums, that's good."

"She never calls me that," Joe said in his defense.

"Right," Hal replied as he slapped Joe on the back.

Joe shot me a dirty look. I smiled innocently.

Tank took a sip of his cider. "This is good. I haven't had hot cider in ages."

Joe turned to me. "Steph, are you going to open your gift from Ranger?"

"Now?" I answered warily. I wasn't sure that I wanted everyone to see what Ranger had given me.

"Yeah, now! We'd all like to see what your good friend has gotten for you."

I glanced at the others, and they all looked eager to find out what their boss and mentor had gotten for me.

"Okay." I picked up the gift. There was a card attached. I pulled the envelope from the gift and set it aside.

"Read it," Joe instructed.

I knew he was doing this to get back at me for the snookums remark. I picked up the card and pulled it from its envelope. The front had a picture of a young girl sitting in front of a blazing fireplace complete with Christmas stockings hung in a neat row. Inside, the card was written in fancy script, "May the warm glow of Christmas fill your heart." Underneath, in Carlos's handwriting, it said, "Babe, I wish I could spend the holidays with you. When you came to visit, I'll never forget the look on your face when you saw those dresses. Merry Christmas, Stephanie." He didn't sign it. It was understood that it was from him, and that he loved me.

It was at that moment that I realized what was on the box. I dropped the card and ripped at the decorative paper. My heart was pounding in anticipation as I pulled the cover off. I peeled the tissue back revealing the black, gray, and white, multi-tiered dress that I had wanted so desperately to try on in Florida, but Ranger had talked me out of in favor of the pink dress. I stared at it for a solid twenty seconds imagining how it would look on me. Of course, in my imagination, I wasn't pregnant.

Joe reached out and touched my arm." Steph, are you okay?" he asked, obviously concerned by my catatonic state.

I nodded my head as I spoke. "Uh huh," I replied. I carefully lifted the dress out of the box and held it up.

"Very pretty," Cal commented.

"I want to try it on!" I gushed. I sprang from my seat and flew up the stares clutching the dress to my chest.

Once I got to the bedroom I quickly pulled the sweater-dress over my head and tossed it on the bed. I slid the gray dress on and stood in front of the mirror. I could hardly tell that I was pregnant because the tiers masked the lack of waistline. I felt beautiful again. Joe's phone was sitting on the nightstand. I snatched it up and called Ranger. He answered after only two rings.

"I hope you like the dress."

"I do!" I gushed. "It's perfect!"

"I'm glad. Maybe you can wear it today while you are out visiting relatives."

"I can't," I lamented. "Joe bought me a sweater-dress to wear for today."

"You don't have to wear the dress I bought you." It was Joe. He entered the room and picked the dress up off the bed. A shudder coursed through my body when I heard the disappointment in his voice.

"Ranger, I have to go. The boys are downstairs."

"I understand. I'll talk to you soon."

"Soon. Thank you and Merry Christmas."

"Same to you, babe."

I disconnected. Joe was standing at the foot of the bed with the dress in his clenched hands. "You should go downstairs and show the others how pretty you look in that dress," he said coldly.

"Joe, I love the dress you got me, too."

"Sure."

"No, I do!" I jumped up and rushed around the corner of the bed. "At least he didn't by me a car," I said, hoping to lighten his mood.

"Yeah, my car would have paled in comparison to that, too."

"Joe!"

"I always feel like I'm in competition with that guy."

I stood squarely in front of him. "It's a dress, Joe. I have lots of pretty dresses, but you know what? I only have one husband, and he's perfect." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You know that old saying that a guy with a great big car has a small penis?"

He raised his eyebrow. "Are you saying Ranger's got a small penis?"

"Well, no—but—he's always known that you had the upper hand. I think he just uses what he's got to try and impress me."

"Like his money?"

"Bingo." I smiled sincerely.

During the exchange Joe had wrapped his arms around my waist. "Your fans are waiting downstairs."

"Do you love me?" I knew he did, but I wanted to hear it.

"Of course, I do." He gave my ass a little squeeze for good measure.

"I love you, too." Instead of going in for the kiss, I pulled away. "Snookums!" I ran for the stairs before he could catch me.

"Don't you fall down them stairs!" he called after me.

I turned at the bottom of the stairs and entered the living room. I found the boys happily munching on cannolis.

"Sorry, I was talking to Ranger," I explained.

"These cannolis are great," Tank commented as he swallowed. "Morelli said you made them."

"Well, Joe's grandmother really made them. She just showed me how to do it."

"Wow, Stephanie, you look hot in that dress!" Cal said enthusiastically.

I blushed.

"I beg to differ," Joe said as he entered the room. "Stephanie makes the dress look hot."

_Oh boy. _I needed to change the subject. "Is that for me?" I asked indicating the gift on the table next to Cal.

"Yes, my girlfriend helped me pick it out."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Her name is Linda. I met her at the station a few weeks ago. She's a cop."

"Linda Catalano?" Joe asked.

"Yes, that's her."

"She transferred down here from Jersey City. Nice girl."

"He met her when she arrested him for drunk and disorderly," Hal blurted out.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. He was out with his buddies, and they got into it with a couple of other guys at the bar."

"Hey, they started it. Little shit called me a steroid junkie. I've never used a steroid in my life."

"You're just lucky Ranger was out of town. You know how he feels about his employees getting into trouble," Tank added.

"That's why I went and apologized to her. I was belligerent when she arrested me, so the next day, I went back when I was sober, and I told her I was sorry if I said anything that may have insulted her. I told her that I have the highest respect for law enforcement." He explained. "She said she knew that I worked for Rangeman because she pulled me up on the computer. I told her I'd appreciate it if she didn't spread it around that she had to arrest me." He laughed. "She said she'd take a bribe."

"No way. She's not dirty," Joe replied.

"Hey, I was as surprised as you. Then, she said she wouldn't mind dinner and a movie."

A smile crossed my face. "Oh! She picked you up!"

"Yeah." Cal picked up the gift and held it out to me. "Go ahead. Open it."

I tore off the wrapping and revealed a boxed gift set of "Beautiful" perfume by Este Lauder.

"Linda says it's one of her favorite perfumes," he commented.

"Thank you!" I crooned. I opened the box and spritzed the fragrance onto my wrist and rubbed it onto my opposite forearm. It smelled nice. I held my arm out for Joe to smell.

He drew in a deep breath. "Mmmm, I like it."

Hal stood up. "Me and Tank got you something, too. We chipped in," he said proudly. He picked up the gift and held it out to me.

"Thank you, guys." The gift was small in size. By the size and shape of the box, I thought it was probably a watch. I carefully peeled back the wrapping. I did it slowly to prolong the suspense. I was wrong. It wasn't a watch. It was a bracelet. The bracelet was modern in design and very unique. There were five rows of multi-colored stones. Each stone was cut in a different shape. The rows were linked together by a wooden clasp that resembled a hook and eye only on a much larger scale. The "eye" where the wooden hook was inserted was about an inch across. I had never seen anything quite like it.

"It's from Puerto Rico," Tank explained. "Inside the box is the paper that tells you who the artist is."

I looked in the box and the paper inside read, "A Pablo Garcia creation."

"When did you go to Puerto Rico?"

Tank laughed. "We didn't go to Puerto Rico. There's a store in Virginia that sell's jewelry from all over the world. It's called Ten Thousand Villages."

"So, you went to Virginia to buy me a bracelet?"

Hal spoke up. "I went to Virginia to visit my mother. She's lives in Richmond. I told her I wanted to buy something nice for a special lady."

"Ah, I see!" I placed my hand on Hal's face and kissed him gently on the cheek.

Hal blushed. I looked over at Joe. He rolled his eyes and wiped his mouth, I assume, to keep from spewing out anything derogatory.

I hugged Tank as well, but I didn't kiss him. I couldn't. I mean, after all, I almost worked for this man.

Cal stood up and held out his arms. "What? No sugar for me?"

"Oh for Christ's sake," Joe muttered.

I stepped around the coffee table and lost my footing. I pretty much fell into Cal's arms as he caught me. He held me tight. "I like this." I was surprised at his forwardness. I could only assume that his new girlfriend had given him a new sense of self worth.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Joe blurted out.

"There's nothing wrong with two—right, Stephanie?"

His allusion to the fact that Ranger was a boyfriend sent Joe over the edge.

"My wife does not have a boyfriend!" he blasted.

Cal released me and immediately backed up, raising his hands, palms open, as a gesture of not wanting to fight. "No, I know. I didn't mean…"

By the grace of God, my phone began to ring. I picked it up to check the number. "It's Lula. I have to take this." I put the phone to my ear and skipped the hello. "Lula, what the hell is going on?"

Joe's phone started to ring as Lula answered me.

"I got engaged!" she sang out triumphantly.

"I _know_ you got engaged! But to _who?_"

"Holy shit! Lula got engaged?" Hal replied.

I nodded my head as Lula spoke. "Reggie."

In the background, I could hear Joe on his phone. "I don't know, Mom. We have company."

"Who the hell is Reggie?"

"You know. The guy."

"The guy?"

"The guy who bought me the dress."

"Are you insane?"

Again, I heard Joe offering an explanation to who, I assumed, was either his mother or mine. "She's on the phone. I'll have her call you in a bit."

"No, he's really nice," Lula exclaimed.

"Have you even slept with him?"

"I don't have to sleep with him to know he's nice."

"Oh—my God!" I plopped on the couch in disgust.

"I wore the pink dress like you said to. His mother thought I was the bomb! She said I was different from the usual skinny crack whores he always brought home. We got along really good. When I marry Reggie, I'll have a mother. Do you know how long it's been since I had a mother?"

I was shocked that she would marry a man for his mother. "You want a mother? I'll give you mine!"

"Ah, the mother-in-law thing," Tank acknowledged.

"Girlfriend, I thought you'd be happy for me."

"Lula, you don't even know this guy!"

"I know him good enough."

"Come to my mother's for dinner, and we can talk."

"I can't. Reggie's coming over here for dinner."

"You can't even cook!"

"Yes I can."

"Heating up a doggie bag is not cooking."

"So, we'll order out."

"It's Christmas!"

"Oh, right."

"Bring him with you. That way, I can at least check him out and let him know that your best friend's husband is a cop."

"He ain't never been arrested."

"How do you know?"

"He told me."

_Oh boy. _I bit my tongue to keep from going off on her. "Are you going to come?"

"You sure your mother won't mind?"

"I'm positive. Be at my house at four."

"Your house?"

"I mean my mother's house."

"Okay, but you're gonna like him."

"We'll see." I disconnected and looked up at the others. "I can't believe it," I muttered.

"So, who's the guy?" Joe inquired.

"She hardly knows him," I explained. "She's been talking to this guy at Cluck In a Bucket."

"He works there?" Tank asked.

"No. They apparently meet there for lunch every Tuesday and talk."

"Talk?" Joe replied as if it was code for something else.

"Yeah, talk." I reiterated. "He told her that his mother thinks he has a girlfriend, and he asked her if she'd accompany him to Christmas Eve dinner and pretend to be his girlfriend. He even bought her a dress. It was so slutty."

"Like Lula," Hal blurted out.

Tank broke into the conversation. "Excuse me," he said, "I went out with that so called slut."

"Sorry, Tank."

I continued. "Well, the dress didn't fit, so I told her to wear the pink dress that she wore to our engagement dinner."

"I remember that dress," Joe exclaimed. "She looked like that black actress that sings; the one with the scar on her forehead. What's her name?"

"Queen Latifah."

"Yeah, that's her."

"Well, she wore the dress, and his mother was thrilled. So, he friggin' asked her to marry him!"

"Is he an American citizen? Maybe he needs a green card," Cal suggested.

"She wants a mother," I responded.

"What?"

"She doesn't have a mother," Tank reiterated. "She died of a drug overdose when Lula was thirteen. Her grandmother raised her for most of her life even when her mother was alive, and then her grandmother died when Lula was seventeen. She didn't want to go into the system, and she couldn't support herself, so she started hookin'."

"Damn, Tank. I didn't know," Hal replied.

"Most women don't become prostitutes because they want to," Joe added.

I threw in my two cents. "She's always stayed clean, and she was picky about her customers."

Joe looked at me. "Kaiser?"

"Is good looking," I said a little too quickly.

Joe shook his head and let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I can't believe you. You think your stalker is good looking?"

"Maybe he's a good guy," Tank exclaimed.

Joe turned to Tank and creased his eyebrows. "Kaiser is the scum of the earth."

"I was talking about Lula's fiancé."

"Oh."

"Well, Lula is bringing him to my mother's for Christmas dinner."

"Which reminds me," Joe interjected. "Your mother called. She wants to know when we are coming. She said your sister is on her way, and she wanted me to remind you that the girls will want to open their presents right away."

"We should get going," Tank announced.

"Yeah," Cal reiterated. "I need to get to my mom's, too. I was hoping to take Linda to the movies tonight."

"I'm going to work," Tank replied.

"Awww! That sucks!" I lamented.

"Well, my mother's in Florida, and I don't have a girlfriend anymore, so I volunteered."

"We could bring you a plate," I offered. Joe shot me a look. I stood my ground. "I'll bring it to you myself."

"That's nice of you, but you don't have to," he said sheepishly.

"Don't be silly. I insist." I looked over at Hal. "What are your plans?"

"My cousin lives over in Asbury Park. I'll go there for a bit, and then I'm meeting my buddies at the bowling alley. Gonna have a few beers and play a few games."

"Maybe I'll go with you," Joe said dryly.

I poked him in the ribs. "You have a family that's expecting you."

"Yeah, snookums," Cal joked.

"Gee, you're a real laugh riot," Joe shot back.

I hugged each of the guys good-bye. Cal held on just a little longer than he should have, and I heard Joe let out a low growl. Joe's mood seemed to improve as soon as he shut the door behind the happy trio. He needed to let Bob in from the back yard, and I needed to go upstairs and change. Five minutes later, I had make-up on, my hair was brushed, and I was again wearing the red sweater-dress. When I returned to the living room, Joe questioned me.

"Why did you change?" he asked.

"This is a Christmas dress. I'll wear the other one for New Year's."

"What makes you think I'm taking you out?"

"Joseph Morelli, next year we will have a baby. You had better be taking me out!"

"Not in Ranger's dress, I'm not."

"You can't tell me what to wear."

"I just won't take you out," he said vehemently.

"Fine! I'll just wear the dress every day."

"No you won't."

I scowled at him. "I will. I'll even wear it to bed."

"I'll rip it off of you," he said with a smirk.

"I'll sew it back together."

"_You _can't sew."

"I'll learn."

He got in my face. "You are so obstinate."

"Are you going to deny that the dress looks good on me?"

Joe sighed deeply. "No."

"And for your information, I never tried the dress on when I was in Florida. Ranger's never even seen me in the dress."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now stop acting like a jealous jerk."

He nuzzled up to me. "Okay, will you accept my apology?"

"I don't know. I think you have some ass kissing to do."

He put his arms around my waist and laid his hands on my ass. "If I kiss your ass, we are going to be late."

At that moment, my phone rang.

"Crap! It's my mother." I pulled the phone to my ear. "Hi, mom."

"Your sister's here, and the girls want to open presents."

"Sorry, Mom. It's Joe's fault. He wanted to ravish me." Joe's eyes connected with mine. The absolute look of bewilderment made me burst out laughing.

"Well, tell him to ravish you later," she replied without missing a beat.

"Okay, we'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Make it ten!" she ordered and then disconnected.

"Thanks a lot," Joe announced as I placed the phone on the coffee table.

"What you worried about? My mother loves you. She'll just put the blame on me, like always."

"I'll load the car," he replied. "You get the wine out of the fridge—and find Bob's leash!"

Ten minutes later, my shiny new SUV was loaded with gifts for all, including a Barbie Dreamhouse that took up most of the back storage area for the girls. I automatically went to the passenger side of the vehicle, but Joe was already seated there.

"It's your car, sweetheart. You should drive," he said with a smile.

"Okay," I said meekly. I walked around to the driver's side and angled myself behind the steering wheel. I placed the key into the ignition, but before I turned the key, I stopped and looked at Joe. "Thank you," I said with a smile.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied.

"I do like it, but I meant thank you for being _my Morelli."_

"Stephanie, I've always been your Morelli."

With that he leaned across the console and planted the perfect kiss on my eager lips. _Oh boy…._


	43. Chapter 43

**So, Happy New Year everyone! Okay, I'm a month late, sorry. I've been so busy doing all those after Christmas things that we gals do. I've also finished the second edit on book 3 of For the Love of Brynn. Getting ready for round three. I figure 4 or 5 should do it. Doing it myself this time to save money or it could be 2 years before you see book 3 in print. Anyway, I spent last week concentrating on Stephanie and Joe. **

**I'm cooking up ideas for the next chapter, and I will write one more chapter before going back to the editing thing.**

**I'm also coming to Florida soon, so anyone who lives in Florida and wants an autographed copy, let me know. I just might be in your area. Maybe we could meet for a frozen yogurt…**

**In the meantime, enjoy!**

THE THING ABOUT PETE

It was no surprise that my mother's house was what I like to call "controlled chaos." As we entered the house, I noticed my father sitting in his chair, up close to the TV, watching "It's a Wonderful Life." Albert was sitting on the couch feeding the baby. Lisa was kneeling at the coffee table reading a book out loud. She didn't know how to read, but that didn't stop her from telling the story in her own words.

I entered the kitchen and found my mother and Val busy preparing snacks for everyone. Mary Alice was sitting at the table playing with her new karaoke machine. Joe retreated to drag in the rest of the gifts.

"Where's Grandma Mazur?"

"She's in the den with her new beau. Angie is with them. She's painting Grandma's nails. He's Latin, you know. A very nice gentleman."

A minute later, Joe returned carrying several bags of gifts. I rushed to take them from him and headed for the living room to put them under the tree. When I returned to the kitchen, Joe was displaying his laptop to my mother, who was at the counter mixing a dip.

"Did you see what my wife got me for Christmas?" he said proudly. I wasn't sure if the pride was in the laptop or the fact that he got to say it was from his wife. "It's got a seventeen inch screen, see?"

He held it open for her to see.

"That's very nice, Joseph. I'm glad your wife is taking care of you." She shot me an evil look.

_I knew she'd blame me, _I said to myself. Before I could speak up and defend myself, Bob came bounding into the kitchen and practically knocked my mother down. Joe dropped the laptop with a thud on the table and spun around to catch my mother before she toppled over.

"God, damn it, Bob!" he yelled as he righted my mother.

I lurched forward and grabbed him by the collar. "He's just excited to see you because he knows you always have food for him," I said in his defense.

"Is your computer all right?" my mother asked.

"I don't know." He picked up the computer, and the screen was black. "Shit! I think it's broken," he lamented.

I dragged Bob out of the kitchen and put him in the backyard. I returned to the living room where Albert was lounging with Alexis.

"Albert, you know about computers, right?"

"Sure. I'm a computer nerd from way back," he replied.

"Will you help Joe? He dropped his laptop, and now it's not working."

I returned to the kitchen with Albert in tow.

"Having trouble with your computer?" Albert asked.

"Yeah, I dropped it and now it won't work."

"Here, let me take a look at it. You probably just dislodged the battery."

Albert sat down at the kitchen table and turned the computer over. I could see that there were several panels that could be opened with the right tools. He pushed a couple of switches on the bottom and slid the door off revealing the battery. He removed it and then placed it back in. He replaced the door and turned the computer over. He pushed the on switch and waited. The light went on, but the screen was still blank.

"I don't know. Usually, that works. I could open her up if I had a screwdriver. Do you have one?"

"I'll ask my dad," I replied. I was hoping there wasn't anything seriously wrong, but I was starting to worry. I would hate for Bob to be the blame. He had been such a good boy lately.

My father dragged me to the garage in search of a small screwdriver. Bob followed us into the garage and nudged at my hand for attention.

"It's okay. You didn't mean it," I said to him.

I couldn't leave Bob outside in the cold on Christmas day, so I let him back in with us and told him to go lay down. We brought the smallest screwdriver we could find into the kitchen where the boys were talking about websites. I handed the screwdriver to Albert.

"This is too big."

"It's the smallest one we've got."

"I need a little one, like for eyeglasses."

"No one in our house wears glasses except for Grandma Mazur and you," I pointed out.

"I don't have anything like that with me. I could go home if you want and get what I have."

Joe raised his hand. "No, Albert. We'll worry about it tomorrow."

"You could ask Grandma Mazur."

"She won't have it. Besides, she and her new man friend are in the front room, and I'm not about to give her a reason to leave it."

Albert gave me a knowing nod. Joe rose from his chair, placed the laptop on top of the fridge, and schlepped sullenly back to the living room.

"I feel like this is my fault," my mother lamented.

"It's not, Mom. It was an accident. It happens."

"Go to Joe and do your magic, so he won't be sad."

I didn't question her. I sat next to him on the couch. He raised his arm and I snuggled into his chest. "I'm sorry," I said in a low voice.

"Yeah, me, too. At least, your mom is all right."

"I know, but it was your Christmas present."

Albert returned to the living room and plopped in a chair. Lisa got up and ran to her father. She sat at his feet. Without missing a beat, he handed her an electronic toy. She immediately began to play with it.

"I'm sure we can return it. You know, our kids will probably break lots of things unintentionally. I just need you to remind me not to be like my father."

I thought about how Mr. Morelli used to beat his boys. I remembered seeing Joe sporting a back eye when he was about fourteen. My friends told me that Joe and a couple of his friends had drunk a couple of cans of his father's beer. He beat the crap out of him. My punishments were much less severe than Joe's. My father never laid a hand on me. Even when I ran over Joe with the car on purpose, my father simply grounded me and told me I wasn't allowed to use the car anymore. After two weeks of chauffeuring me around, he gave me back my privileges.

"Don't worry," I assured him, "You'll never hurt your children."

"How do you know?" he said as he leaned forward and stroked Bob, who was resting at his feet.

"Because my children could never piss you off as much as I have and you've never hit me."

Joe lowered his head. "Lord knows I've considered it." After a moment of silence, he turned and looked directly at me. "And what do you mean by 'my children'? Are you planning on having children with someone else?"

_That comment came out of left field, _I thought to myself.

"All my children will be Morelli's."

"I have a brother," he reminded me.

"If I ever stoop so low as to sleep with your brother, you have my permission to shoot me."

"Count on it."

"You had better kiss me before I consider it."

Joe wrapped his arm around me and gave me a passionate kiss. My father ignored us and remained fixated on the TV. It was Mary Alice who disrupted us when she exclaimed rather loudly, "Daddy, how come you and Mommy don't kiss each other like that?"

Joe started to laugh, and the kiss was broken.

Val had been standing in the doorway, and she answered the question before Albert could.

"We do, dear—when we are alone."

"I want to see you kiss him!" she trilled.

"Yeah, Albert, show your wife some love," Joe chimed in.

The funny thing about my sister and Albert is that fact that when they first hooked up, my sister was slimmer than I was. Albert was pudgy, and to anyone that saw them, they would have thought Val too pretty for the likes of Albert. Since that time, Val got pregnant twice and has gained weight with each pregnancy. Albert, on the other hand, has actually lost a few pounds, probably due to the fact that he has become more active, having to chase the girls around. As a matter of fact, I'd have to say they now looked like they belong together.

The downside for me is the fact that Joe and I are a perfect match physically, but now I'm pregnant. If I gain twenty pounds, I'll be fat, and people will wonder what a hot guy like Joe is doing with a cow like me.

Albert rose from his chair, crossed the room, and took his wife by the hands. He leaned toward her slowly as if he was expecting her to say or do something to spoil the moment.

"Come on, Mommy! Kiss him!" Mary Alice shouted.

"It's Christmas," Albert said to his wife in a soft quiet tone.

Val rolled her eyes. Then, she pulled her hands away from Albert, and in a surprise move, she grabbed his face and planted her lips on his. What followed was a sloppy kiss that I thought would never end. When Val finally released Albert from her vise-like grip, I thought Albert would topple over. When Albert turned toward us to reclaim his chair, I thought I would die. He was pitching a tent worthy of a stallion. _Who woulda thought?_ I said to myself. Val grabbed him by the hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

"You look tired, snookums. Let's take a nap," she said with an evil glint in her eyes.

Albert practically floated across the living room. Val led him up the stairs, and they disappeared.

I turned to Joe. "I don't want to get fat," I said abruptly.

"You won't," he answered nonchalantly.

"No, I really mean it. Valerie got pregnant, and now she's fat."

"She's had four kids," he exclaimed.

I looked into his eyes. "How many kids do you want?"

He smiled and placed his hand on my belly. "Why don't we worry about the one for now," he said in a calm reassuring voice.

"You think this baby is going to be more than I can handle, don't you?"  
>I shot back.<p>

"I _think_ it will be difficult for me to share you."

It was the most perfect answer he could have come up with.

I melted into his chest. "I love you."

My mother stepped into the living room with a tray of snacks. She scanned the room. "Where are Albert and Val?"

"They're taking a nap!" Mary Alice shouted.

She looked bewildered. "A nap? What happened to opening presents?"

Joe chuckled. "I think Albert is opening his right now."

"Oh, good grief!"

"Mom, sit down and watch the movie with us," I suggested.

Grandma Mazur and her beau entered the living room.

"Why didn't anyone tell me you were here?" Grandma asked.

"You were getting your nails painted. We didn't want to ruin your masterpiece."

"Well, I'd like you to meet my new boyfriend, Hector Hernandez." She turned to Hector. "Hector, sweetie, this is my granddaughter, Stephanie, and her husband, Joe Morelli. He's a cop," she said proudly.

"Nice to meet you," Joe said as he stood up and offered his hand to Hector.

"One of Trenton's finest, huh? I was in produce, but I retired ten years ago."

My thoughts immediately went to an FTA I had a run in with, who left me covered in tomatoes and other assorted fresh vegetables.

"Hey, you don't know a guy named Gordo Bollo by any chance, do you?"

"No, should I?"

I realized it was a stupid question. After all, Hector did say that he retired ten years ago. "No, probably not," I said meekly.

"When are we going to open presents?" Angie whined.

My mother leaned over and handed each of the girls a Christmas cookie. "When the movie is over."

"When is that?" Angie asked.

"Soon."

Angie did an about face and marched to my father who pulled her into his lap. The rest of us noshed on cheese and crackers and B-L-T dip, which was a new recipe that Val had come across. We stared blankly at the TV and waited patiently for the little girl to say, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings!" Albert and Val returned from their brief nap just in time for the festivities to begin.

The girls were quick to tear into their gifts. There were lots of squeals of delight as each present was opened. This was the first year that Lisa really understood the concept of unwrapping presents. She repeatedly picked up other people's gifts and brought them to Albert. "Open!" she demanded. She began to get cranky when Albert told her for the fifth time that the present wasn't for her. It ended up being a game where Albert told her who to give the present to, and she helped the recipient open the gift. We all had fun with it. Lisa quickly became the star of the show.

Although Hector wasn't part of the family, he brought gifts for each of Val's girls citing Christmas is for the children. They all were given books except the baby; she was given a stuffed bunny rabbit. Angie, who was the oldest, received the boxed set of the seven books from "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C S Lewis. I thought it was the perfect gift to give an eleven year old who loved to read. Mary Alice was only starting to read chapter books. Hector bought her "The Magic Treehouse" books. It was also a boxed set of the first four books. Valerie was excited at the prospect of getting both of her girls reading at night when she was trying to get Lisa down. I'm not so sure how excited Mary Alice was about it. Even Lisa got a couple of books by Dr. Seuss. She was thrilled because she was familiar with the books. In my opinion, I felt it was very thoughtful of Hector to bring them gifts. He gave Grandma Mazur a gift as well. It was a bracelet. It was a silver bangle bracelet that had an Indian flair to it and appeared to be hand made. I don't think it was terribly expensive, but it was tasteful and appropriate, considering they had only been dating for a little over a month.

"Do you have family in the area?" I asked.

"My wife passed away two years ago of cancer. My ex-wife lives here in Trenton, but she and I haven't spoken to each other in years."

"No children?"

"My second wife has a daughter, but she's living in Tennessee with her husband. I only get to see them a few times a year. I have a son, but we had a falling out a while back, not that our relationship was all that great to begin with."

"Oh, that's too bad."

Val interrupted our conversation to show me the Pandora bracelet that Albert had gotten for her. It had four charms on it; each representing one of the girls. I laughed because one of them was a horse.

"What did Joe get you for Christmas?" she asked.

I realized that I hadn't gushed over my new SUV when I came into the house. I don't think it was because I didn't appreciate it. I think it was more because I had been given so many cars by Ranger in the past; it didn't seem like that big a deal. But it was, at least to Joe. I had to think fast.

"Well, I didn't want to brag," I said loud enough for Joe to hear me.

He strolled over to where Val and I were sitting. "I gave her a baby," Joe exclaimed. "What more does she need?"

I poked him gently in the ribs. "He gave me my freedom," I said nonchalantly.

"What the hell does that mean?" my mother interjected with a worried look on her face.

"I agreed to give her a divorce, so she can be the guy she really wants," he said it a little too seriously.

My mother gasped.

I reacted by smacking him on the arm. "That's not even funny," I scolded.

"What?" he replied, "you're the one who said I gave you your freedom."

I ignored him. "Mom, he bought me a Jeep Grand Cherokee."

Val stood up quickly. "He bought you a friggin' car?"

"Technically, it's an SUV," Joe exclaimed.

Val shot Albert a dirty look.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Last year, I bought you a house!" Albert said in his defense. "Mortgage payments don't grow on trees, you know! Besides, Joe's house was given to him." I had never seen Albert stand up for himself before.

"He's got a point," Joe responded. "I still pay taxes though."

I was tired of this argument.

"Does anyone want to see my new Cherokee or not?" I yelled.

Grandma Mazur stepped forward. "I do."

My father chimed in. "I do, too."

Everyone grabbed their coats and stomped out into the cold to see my new vehicle.

"How does it ride?" Albert asked.

"Like a dream," Joe answered. "Want to take it for a spin?"

"Heck, yeah!"

Joe was acting like it was his SUV. I was beginning to get a little perturbed. Then, he turned to me. "Steph, do you mind if Al and I go for a little ride?"

I was instantly relieved that he asked me. "Sure," I replied. "No bars," I added.

Joe rubbed my lower back. "Sweetheart, it's Christmas."

I handed him the keys. Joe passed the keys to Albert. "You drive," he said, and then he walked around to the passenger side and angled his way into the seat. They waved good-bye as Albert backed out of the driveway. I don't know why, but my stomach dropped. I had the sinking feeling that they weren't going to be back for a while.

I trudged back into the house and grabbed a cheesecake cupcake out of the fridge. The house was beginning to smell like Christmas dinner; spiral ham with brown sugar and cloves.

It was a short time later when Lula arrived with her new fiancé. I rose to answer the door and was quite surprised by the subdued outfit she was wearing. Lula was known for wearing spandex pants and skirts that hugged every fat molecule in her derriere. Today, she was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans with a cute pair of ankle high boots. The spike heels were only three inches instead of the usual four inch platform shoes that she favored. Of course, her blouse was form fitting and pink, but her boobs were actually contained within the blouse. Even her hair was down a couple of notches from the crazy colors and 'dos she was known for. Today, her hair was pulled back into a tasteful clip and her mahogany weave cascaded over her left shoulder.

My mother approached. "Lula, my! You look pretty."

"Thank you, Mrs. Plum. I'm engaged now. My wild days are behind me."

_Wow. I didn't see that coming, _I thought to myself. I focused my attention on her fiancé. He wasn't purely African American; he looked to be a mix. He was about an inch taller than Lula in her heels. He was slender in build, much slimmer than Joe. He was a pleasant looking man, short cropped hair and clean shaven. He had full lips and a dimple in his chin.

"Hi, I'm Stephanie," I exclaimed, "and this is my mother, Ellen."

"My name is Pedro, but everyone calls me Pete."

"It's nice to meet you."

I led Lula and Pete into the living room, and that's where the mayhem began. It started with the explosion that Pete initiated when he laid his eyes on Grandma and Hector.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.

"Pedro," Hector replied.

"Who invited you? I told you to stay the hell out of my life!" His growl became a rant.

"My girlfriend invited me," Hector responded.

"Girlfriend? You wife just died. You just can't wait to get into the pants of another, can you?"

"My wife died two years ago, son."

It all clicked into place.

"What happened between me and your mother had nothing to do with you, and it was twenty years ago. You need to let that go."

"You broke her heart!" Pedro bellowed.

"I never broke her heart. She never loved me. I bruised her ego," Hector shot back.

"You lie!" He lunged toward his father.

I got between them. Lula pulled on Pedro's arm.

"There are babies in this house," I reminded them. "This is no way to act on Christmas!"

"My father is a cheater and a liar," Pedro announced.

"I never slept with Joan until your mother asked me to leave."

"But you were in love with her."

Hector lowered his head and then raised it again. "Yes, but I was still loyal to your mother even though neither of us were happy." He paused and then continued. "And Joan and I were married for seventeen years, and I never cheated on her. Your mother is…" He stopped. I think he realized he was about to throw her under the bus. "Look, I don't want to fight with you."

"You weren't there for me."

"Not because I didn't want to be. The circumstances prevented me from seeing you."

I took that to mean his mother wouldn't let him see his son. I shot a quick look at Valerie because she wouldn't let her girls see their father either. Albert was a great dad to all the girls, but he wasn't really Angie and Mary Alice's father. I could almost see the same scenario playing out with Angie twenty years from now.

"Look," I interjected, "the powers that be brought the two of you together under this roof. Maybe God wants the two of you to make up and be there for each other again. Lula is one of my closest friends, and my grandmother is dating your dad. I say we make the best of it and enjoy Christmas."

At that moment, Joe and Albert walked in the back door.

I spun around to receive my husband. Pedro took one look at Joe and spoke. "I know you. You're a cop."

Joe put on his cop face. "Yes, I am. Do I know you?"

"You took a bullet at the bank a while back. A friend of mine works there. She said you saved her life."

"I was just doing my job," Joe replied.

"Only you were off duty," I reminded him.

"Sweetheart, a cop is never really off duty."

I marched off into the kitchen because I didn't want to have an argument about how it was okay for him to put his life in danger, but not okay for me. Lisa followed me with her Dr. Seuss book in hand. She stopped in front of me and looked up.

"Stephie, read?"

"Sure." I sat at the kitchen table and pulled Lisa into my lap. I opened the book and began. "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish." Lisa clapped. I was a few pages in when Joe and Albert entered and grabbed the laptop off the fridge.

They sat at the table and turned the laptop over. Albert retrieved a tiny screwdriver from his pocket.

"Okay, let's do this," he said enthusiastically.

I continued to read to Lisa.

"Shit!" Joe blurted out. "It's too small."

"Shit!" Lisa echoed. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Joe and Albert burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" I scolded.

"I'm sorry," Joe said, trying to reel in his smile.

"Don't feel bad," Albert replied. "Val does it all the time."

Lula and Pete entered the kitchen.

"I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?" Lula asked.

"There are cheese, crackers, and dip in the living room," I replied.

"I need something sweet. Got any cookies?"

"There's cheesecake cupcakes in the fridge. Help yourself."

Pete approached the table. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I was trying to get this computer open."

"What for?"

"I dropped it on the table, and now it's not working."

"Did you check if the battery is loose?" Pete asked.

"Uh huh. It's not the battery."

"Might be your hard drive."

"Well, whatever it is, we can't get in. My screwdriver is too small."

"I have one in the car. You want me to take a look at it?"

Joe looked up. "You know something about computers?"

Pete pulled out his wallet and produced a card. He handed it to Joe as he excused himself and left the room.

"Responsive Systems Co, Morganville, NJ," Joe read.

I turned to Lula. "You fiancé works with computers?"

"I told you he was real smart!" she said proudly.

Pete returned a few minutes later with a utility case. He had all kinds of tools and assorted cables and electronic doo-dads.

"May I?" he asked Albert.

"Sure. Be my guest," Albert replied, handing the computer over to Pete.

In less than five minutes, Joe had a working computer. "You just jostled the hard drive. Do you have any protection on this thing?"

"I don't have anything," Joe replied. "I only got it today."

"I can put an anti-virus program on there for you if you want."

"How much is that gonna cost?"

Pete smiled a little crooked smile. "You're a hero. This is on me."

I grabbed Lula by the hand and pulled her out of the kitchen leaving the three boys together. I suggested we go upstairs, so we could talk. We sat on the bed and faced each other.

"I want to apologize to you," I said. "Pete seems like a great guy."

"I know, right? And tonight I'm going to rock his world."

"You haven't slept with him?"

"Nope."

I could feel the horror transmit across my face. "What if he's…"

"Hun, I've slept with hundreds of guys. Most of them couldn't care less about anyone except themselves. If Pete isn't 'up' for the challenge, I can use whatever it takes to get satisfaction."

My eyes opened like saucers. "Seriously? We're not talking about one night, you know."

"I know. Face it, hun, I'm almost forty. I can't have babies. If I don't find someone soon, I'm gonna grow old alone."

"Does he know you can't have children?"

"He does. He said he doesn't want children."

"I guess my question is why?"

"Well, I guess it was pretty obvious downstairs that his own childhood wasn't exactly the happy family life."

"Well, neither was yours, but you would have children if you could."

"Sometimes, I think that I'm getting what I deserve."

I lunged forward and pulled Lula into my arms. "Lula, you've been through so much. You deserve to be happy. I just hope you aren't jumping into this too quickly."

"Tell you what. I'll call you and let you know how everything goes tonight."

"Okay. Just don't get too graphic."

"Sure, hun."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Did you decide to wear what you have on, or did he make that decision?"

"Connie bought me the jeans for Christmas. Pete said I look really nice."

"You do."

"Then why did you question me?"

"It's just that you look so different. I was wondering if he was making all the decisions."

Lula started to laugh. "I bought the shoes last week because I didn't want to tower over him."

"What about your hair?"

"You like it?"

"I love it!"

"My regular girl was on vacation. She went to see her family in California. I had a new girl do my hair."

"It looks fabulous. You should get her to do it all the time."

There was a light knock at the door. The door opened, and Joe appeared. "Mind if we come in?"

"No, come on," I replied.

Joe entered, followed by Pete. "Your mother kicked us out if the kitchen. She said dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"How's your computer?" Lula asked.

"It's great. Pete really hooked me up."

Joe plunked on the bed and kissed me on the neck. I swatted at him, not because I didn't enjoy it, but I felt it was inappropriate in front of Lula and Pete.

Instead, I tried to set up a date night between us and them.

"How about we go out one night, the four of us?"

"We could go out for New Year's Eve!" Lula gushed.

"I don't usually go out for New Year's," Pete responded. "I spend it with my mom."

Lula placed her hands on her hips. "I don't want to spend my New Year's Eve at your mother's!"

"Lula, I'm all she has."

"Fine, you stay with your mother. I'm going out."

_Oh boy._

"Joe, I think we should make sure Bob is locked up before he gets into trouble."

"Good idea," Joe exclaimed. He rose off the bed and took my hand.

I turned to Lula and Pete. "Take your time."

Lula stood up abruptly. "I don't need no time. I am going out on New Year's Eve with or without a date!" She pushed her way past me and Joe and stomped down the stairs.

Joe looked back at Pete.

"I guess I should take my leave," Pete said solemnly.

"You don't have to leave," Joe replied.

"I don't want to argue with her. She's Stephanie's friend. She belongs here; I don't."

We got to the bottom of the stairs, and Pete grabbed his coat. "It was nice to meet you," he said to Joe and shook his hand. Lula was in the kitchen when Pete silently slipped out the back door.

"Let's eat!" Val called from the kitchen doorway.

Everyone filed into the kitchen and took a seat. My mother noticed immediately that Pete was missing. "Lula, what happened to your fiancé?"

Joe spoke up. "They had a little disagreement, and he thought it best if he left."

Lula looked shocked. "He left?"

"Did you say fiancé?" Hector asked.

I turned to Hector. "Yes, I'm sorry no one told you. They're engaged."

Hector started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Lula asked.

He stopped laughing and looked at Lula hard. "Are you a transvestite?"

Lula backed her head up. "What are you talking about?"

"Pedro is gay."

"I knew there was a reason he hadn't slept with you," I chimed in. I cocked my head in thought. "That explains the reason his mother said he was always bringing home whores. They _were_ whores."

My father grabbed a slice of ham and passed the tray to Val.

Lula got up. "Excuse me," she said in a snit.

"Where are you going?" my mother asked.

"To find Tank. He may have cats, but at least he knows how to satisfy me."

"Tanks working," I exclaimed, "And you don't have a car."

She plopped back in the seat. "Why do all the cute ones have to be gay?"

"I'm not gay," Joe protested.

I giggled. "Oh, you think you're cute?"

"I'm better than cute. I am a God!" he bellowed in a thunderous tone.

Everyone laughed, and the tension was broken.

My mother reached out and placed her hand on Lula's. "Stay. You are like family."

"Well, I am hungry."

There rest of the evening went as well as it could, considering the events of the day. When Joe and I left, we drove Lula over to Rangeman, so she could talk to Tank. She called my cell as we waited in the garage and let us know Tank would drive her home. It made me smile.

As we drove home, Joe broke the silence. "Too bad about Pedro. I liked him."

I turned at smiled at him. "Yeah, I think he liked you, too."

It took a minute for the implications of what I had said to sink in.

"Hey, you don't think…"

"Don't worry, handsome. He thinks you are a hero, but to me, you are a God!"

12


	44. Chapter 44

**Greetings everyone. I know it's been too long. I've just been incredibly busy. And it's not going to slow down, at least for me. I wanted to get this out before I left for Florida on a little 'holiday'. Just me, myself, and I. I'm going to go zip lining over the alligators! And I'm going to kidnap a very dear friend. I'm hoping this will be a healing trip for me. When I get back, I will be putting my concentration on 3 things: Book 3 of For the Love of Brynn. 4th edit. Writing a long awaited chapter for Nate's Diary, and then back to Plum Crazy. For now, enjoy...**

NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE

The week passed pretty quickly. Joe worked and I, well, I hung out with Val. I didn't hear from Lula at all. Joe and I were all set to go to Ritolli's. It was a restaurant on the west end that hosted a big gala every New Year's for the Trenton police and fire departments. Mr. Ritolli lost his brother in the line of duty, and he used the proceeds to fund a charity for those left behind when an officer or a fireman was killed. Joe and I had gone as a couple the last three years in a row. Most of our friends were going to be there. I was putting the finishing touches on my hair when Joe called out to me.

"Stephanie, Lula's on the phone."

I stepped out of the bedroom wearing a blood red one shoulder number that draped loosely over my prominent belly. "God!" I lamented. "I can't believe how big I've gotten since Thanksgiving!"

Joe handed me the phone and kissed me on the cheek. "You're gorgeous."

"Right," I muttered as I pulled the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you going tonight?"

"Of course, we're going. Where the hell have you been all week?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Don't tell me you and Tank eloped."

"What? Hell no. Tank and I are just friends."

"I thought you spent the night with him when we dropped you off."

"I did."

Joe interrupted our conversation. "Sweetheart, are you gonna talk on the phone all night, or are we going out?"

"Lula, I have to go. Are you going to be with Tank?"

"I'm going, but I won't be with Tank."

"You're going alone?"

"No, I'm going with my fiancé."

"Pete?"

"Yep."

_Oh boy…_

Joe was standing in front of me with his arms folded tightly across his chest, looking perturbed.

"Okay, okay!" I said to him. "Lula, I'll talk to you later. We're leaving now." I hung up and looked at Joe. "Lula and Pete are back together."

"She's marrying a gay guy?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess."

Joe bent over and picked up two ties off the bed. "Which tie should I wear?"

He was wearing a European cut lavender dress shirt and black slacks. He was holding a purple tie with light gray pin stripes and a solid silver tie.

"Hmm. I like the pin stripe tie, but it might be too conservative. I'm not crazy about the silver tie. Maybe if you had diamond stud earrings."

"You'd want me to pierce my ears, seriously?"

"Well, you are a Guido, right?" I giggled.

"Oh, you are a laugh riot."

I resumed my serious face. "Why don't you do without a tie?"

"No. It's dressy affair. I could change my shirt to a different color."

I picked up the stripe tie, draped it around his neck, and began to tie it. He was staring at me intently.

"What?" I asked.

"I love you." It wasn't as if Joe didn't say it every day, but most days, it was without much thought, sort of automatic. This was heartfelt.

I bit my lower lip. "Now see what you've done? You've started a tradition."

Joe looked puzzled.

"Now, every year before we go out, I'll have to tie your tie, and you'll have to tell me you love me."

He smiled.

I finished the knot and kissed him gently on the lips. "I love you, too."

"What if we don't go out?"

I was confused by the statement. "What?"

"What if in the future we don't go out for New Year's?"

"Then I'll tie you to the bed, and you can tell me how much you love me," I teased.

"Is that a promise?"

I grabbed him by the tie and dragged him toward the stairs. "Come on. If you're a good boy, I'll tie you up later."

He slapped my ass. "Now you're talkin'!"

I scooped up the box with my shoes and carried them with me to the bottom of the stairs. In the last month, Joe had requested that I not wear heels when descending the stairs. He said he read that a woman's brain shrinks when pregnant. He also read that as she gains weight, her center of gravity shifts, and her sense of balance becomes skewed. He said it would destroy him if he came home and found me lying at the bottom of the stairs. I thought he was being ridiculous, but my mother told me I should pick my battles. I figured this was not something worth arguing about. Besides, it just meant that he was worried about me.

The thing is I worried about him, too. After all, it was no secret that he took his job very seriously, and he had no qualm about putting his life on the line to protect others. I may not have been the best bounty hunter, but I would not put my own life on the line for a stranger. The people that I knew and cared about were one thing, but a complete stranger—no.

We arrived at the party at eight o'clock. Since it was at a restaurant, Ritolli, the owner, served a full meal for the price of the admission. I spotted Mattie and Connie sitting alone at a table for eight. I grabbed Joe by the hand and attempted to drag him to the table, but of course, he had other ideas. He turned and pulled me in the direction of his buddies who were lined up at the bar.

"Joe, I can't drink," I reminded him.

"Yeah, well I can."

"I'm going over to Connie and Mattie to get our seats for dinner."

"Okay." He wrapped his arm around my lower back and pulled me to him. "In case you weren't paying attention before, I love you."

"Don't get too drunk, okay?"

"I can't. I'm on call. I'll be nursing my beer."

"I didn't know you had call tonight."

"Yeah. Let's hope for a peaceful New Year's."

He kissed me quickly and released me. I rushed over to Mattie and Connie. Connie looked gorgeous in a silver sequined, form-fitting gown. I was jealous because that was typically the type of dress I would have worn to a function like this had my waist not been bigger than my boobs.

"Connie, you look so chic!" I commented as I admired her.

"Look at you!" Connie chirped. "You're blossoming!"

"Gawd. Don't remind me."

"Seriously," Mattie added, "you look great."

Connie excused herself and got up to talk to an old friend she spied on the other side of the room. I was deep in conversation with Mattie about his Christmas with the kids when I heard a familiar voice call out from across the room.

Lula was dressed in a sleek gold lamé gown that showed off her curves and then some. It was the same color as the dress Pete had bought for her to pose as his girlfriend. I was sensing a theme here. Trailing behind her was Pete in a conservative black suit with a white shirt.

"How did she squeeze herself into that dress?" Mattie asked.

"I have no clue," I replied.

Lula was upon us in seconds. Mattie and I rose from our seats to receive the happy couple. After a quick round of introductions, Pete announced that he was going to get a drink and say hi to Joe, who was planted in front of the bar with his buddies. As soon as he left, I took the opportunity to question Lula.

"What the hell happened? I thought Pete was gay."

"That's what he told his father because he was hoping he wouldn't approve, and he'd be able to distance himself from his father."

"Why does he hate his father so much? He seems like a nice guy."

"Pete says after his father left, he was left to take care of his mother. She relies on him for everything."

"So are you going to spend the rest of your life taking care of his mother?" Mattie asked.

"Well, I can't have kids, so I figure why not?"

I thought about having to take care of Joe's mother when she got older. A shiver ran through my body.

"Steph, are you okay?" Mattie asked as he placed his hand on the small of my back.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The deejay announced that dinner was about to be served and requested that everyone take their seats. Joe and Pete returned to the table with his cousin, Mooch and his wife, Shirley. Connie returned a minute later as Mr. Ritolli took the mic from the deejay and said a few words about those who put their lives on the line every day for the good of the community and spoke about the fund in his brother's name. He thanked everyone for their generosity and promised everyone a good Italian meal.

In the middle of his speech, the front door opened. I turned my head instinctively to see who was arriving. A beautiful brunette with dark eyes and a figure to die for stepped into the room. My heart stopped when I saw Ranger dressed in black suit, shirt, and tie step into the room behind her. They looked like they belonged on the red carpet. Joe placed his hand gently on mine.

I looked over at him and forced a smile. Mr. Ritolli finished up his speech, and the waiters filed out carrying platters of lasagna, chicken parmesan, and fettuccini. I turned casually to pick up my napkin that I had conveniently dropped on the floor, so I could I spy on Ranger and his mystery date. They were sitting at a table of Rangeman employees including Hal and Cal, who each brought dates and Tank, who looked to be flying solo. I leaned to Lula.

"Tank is alone."

"I know. He asked me to be his date last week. I said I would go, but then Pete showed up at my door the other night."

I leaned in close to Lula. "Let mw get this straight. You slept with Tank and told him you'd be his date, and then you ditched him for Pete?"

"I didn't ditch him," Lula replied. "I told him that Pete wants to marry me, and he said Pete was a lucky man and wished me a good life."

"Oh my god, Lula! Tank still loves you!" I blurted out loud enough for the table to hear.

"Who's Tank?" Pete asked.

"No one," Lula answered quickly. Then she turned back to me and hissed, "Mind your business, Stephanie. I didn't say anything when your mouth dropped open when Ranger walked in with that Latin hooker."

Connie leaned forward. "Do I need to separate you two?"

"She started it," Lula snapped.

Connie didn't back down. "You're engaged and she's married. Quit acting like a couple of school girls."

Connie seemed rather pissy tonight. After all, she knew how me and Lula were.

The waiter came with the food; thus ending the scolding. Lula shut her trap and grabbed a platter. I was afraid to look at Joe. I was sure he was not happy.

"Would you like some fettuccini?" Joe asked.

I looked at him, and his face was stone cold. This was not how I wanted tonight to go. Why the hell was Ranger even here? A shiver ran down my spine, and I could feel my eyes well up. At that moment, the baby gave me a good kick to the ribs.

"Oh!" I said as I clutched the spot where I felt the movement.

Joe put the platter down. "Are you all right?"

"The baby. He kicked."

"Really? Can I feel it?"

I took his hand and placed it in the same spot.

"I don't feel anything."

"Wait."

No sooner had I said, "Wait;" the baby kicked.

"I felt it!" he said with a smile.

I shot a weak smile at him.

"Cupcake, I think he's hungry."

The fact that he called me cupcake indicated that he wasn't mad. "I guess I should eat then."

Joe picked up the platter of fettuccini and held it for me while I scooped some onto my plate. He did the same with the lasagna and the chicken parm. I ate until I was stuffed.

After dinner, the deejay played dance music. Mattie rose from his chair and walked around the table to where I was sitting.

"Care to dance?" he asked.

"With you?" I teased.

"Yeah, with me."

"You know, I'm a married lady," I replied loud enough for Joe to hear.

"You may have married Morelli, but you were _my_ princess first."

I was sure he said it in jest, but Joe leaned forward and replied, "Technically, she was mine first. I took her virginity before you ever laid a hand on her."

Mattie's eyes grew dark and his expression hardened. "Yeah, and then you left her flat. I had to pick up the pieces."

Joe never knew about my dark days and my issues with trust following that incident.

"I joined the frickin' navy!" he said in his defense.

I stood up before the argument escalated.

"Let's dance," I announced as I took Mattie by the hand. It was a slow song. Mattie took me into his arms and held me as we danced. "Why did you start that argument?" I demanded.

"I don't know. I didn't mean to. He was just so damned cocky about taking your virginity. It pissed me off. It took forever for you to finally trust me enough to make love to you after he got through with you."

"I know, but look at it this way; if Joe had stuck around, you and I probable never would have become friends."

"True, and I'd be dead."

The instant memory of Mattie hanging from the ceiling fan in the living room flooded my brain.

"But you're not."

"Thank you."

I snuggled into Mattie's shoulder and held on just little more tightly as we danced. The second song was a rockin' song, and we broke loose and had fun with it. After the second song, we returned to the table. Joe was gone. I surveyed the room and didn't spot him anywhere.

"Where is he?" I asked Connie.

"Phone call," Connie replied.

That meant only one thing. "Where?"

"There." She pointed to the kitchen.

I walked swiftly toward the kitchen. He emerged just as I got to the doorway. "What?" I asked as his eyes met mine. He was wearing his cop face.

"Somebody fell from the twelfth floor of the Regency Hotel."

"And?"

"And she's the daughter of a judge. I've got to go."

"I don't want you to go."

"Believe me, I'd much rather be here to keep the vultures away." He was looking past me. I turned to see what he was looking at. My eyes fell upon Ranger.

"It's New Year's," I whined. "It's not fair."

"It's not fair that a twenty-four year old fell to her death at a New Year's party, either." He placed his hand on my face. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"No, I'll just miss you even more at home. I'll catch a ride from someone."

His hands rested on my arms. "Should I be worried?"

"No, Joseph. He brought a date, you know."

He drew in a deep sigh. "Happy New Year, Stephanie." He leaned toward my lips, and I reciprocated. It was a tender and passionate kiss. As he ended the kiss, he pulled me into his strong arms and held me tightly.

"It's going to be difficult to get all the thoughts of the great sex we were going to have out of my head," he whispered in my ear.

He pulled away and rolled my eyes at him. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"It was tonight."

"I love you. Be careful."

"Always am." He took my hand and walked me over to where Tank was hanging with Hal and Cal. "Hey, Tank."

"Hey, Officer Morelli,—Stephanie."

"I see that you don't have a date for tonight. Unfortunately, I've been called into work. Would you mind filling in, in my absence?"

"You want to watch over Stephanie?"

"And make sure gets home safely."

"Sure, I can do that."

"Thank you."

Joe turned to leave and spun around. "Don't let anyone's lips touch hers."

"Joe!" I scolded.

He ignored me. "I'm not kidding."

"Will do," Tank replied.

Joe shot me a wink. "I'll catch you later, cupcake."

I surveyed the room. All of my friends were dancing. The deejay was playing all the latest club tunes. I turned to join them.

"Where are you going?" Tank asked.

"To dance!" I called over my shoulder.

I spent the next half hour on the dance floor with Connie and Lula and Mooch's wife, Shirley, and my cousin, Shirley the Whiner. Finally, Lula grabbed me by the hand and dragged me off the dance floor.

"I'm gonna have a heart attack! I need a drink!" she sputtered.

"Okay."

Pete and Mattie were hanging together near the bar. They met us as we approached and ushered us to the bar.

"Tequila Sunrise…" Lula blurted out still out of breath.

"And for you?" the bartender asked, looking at me.

"She'll have a diet coke," Mattie replied.

He wrapped his arm around my waist. "I see your husband left you flat again."

"Mattie, you know he had to go to work."

"How do you know? Maybe that's what he told you. Maybe, he's with that chick, Terry Gilman."

I slapped him in the face. "How dare you!"

Tank was upon us in a flash. "Do you need some help?"

"No, Tank. I'm fine." I stormed away. I headed to the bathroom. Connie intercepted me.

"What was that all about?"

"You're boyfriend is a jerk!"

I was washing my face when Lula entered. "Are you okay?"

"I can't believe Mattie would do that."

"Do what?"

"He tried to place doubts in my head about Joe. He said maybe Joe was going off to meet Terry Gilman."

"Oh, hun. You should know better than that. Morelli is so hooked on you; it's not even funny. That dumbass Mattie is just jealous."

"Why? He's got Connie."

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course, I can."

"His wife is all of a sudden trying to get back with him. Connie is pissed off. She doesn't want to make any demands on him, so she's been backing off. She came with him tonight, but you see she's not really with him."

"Oh my God! What is Mattie going to do?"

"I don't know. He doesn't talk to me. Maybe he'll talk to you."

All of a sudden, there was a commotion coming from the hall. Lula and I rushed out to see what it was all about. In an instant, we saw Tank grab Pete in a headlock.

Lula took off running. "Tank! Let him go!" she bellowed.

I was right behind her.

"Call him off, and I will."

Ranger stepped forward. "Let him go, Tank."

Tank released Pete. Pete stumbled backward and fell on his ass. Lula walked up and punched Tank in the chest, which had no effect, and rushed to Pete. Ranger stood over Pete and spoke calmly.

"This is a party. There will be no fighting. Is that understood?"

I stepped in front of Ranger while Lula helped Pete to his feet.

"Don't worry. It's under control," I assured him.

He focused on me. "Stephanie. You look beautiful tonight."

I felt the heat rise up into my face. "I…um…" The deejay started the music back up. It was a slow song. I grabbed Tank by the arm. "I promised Tank a dance."

"What?" Tank said obviously alarmed at the prospect of dancing.

I wrapped my arm through his and led him to the dance floor. "Just dance with me."

"I don't know how to dance," he protested.

"Just wrap your arms around me and rock," I ordered.

"I don't think I'm supposed to touch you."

I rolled my eyes at him. We began to dance. It was excruciating. Tank may be the best at protecting someone, but he was the most awkward human alive on the dance floor. Suddenly, a voice came from behind me.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asked.

Tank looked only too happy to relinquish me. I closed my eyes and held my breath as I felt his sure arms wrap around me, and his hand fell to the small of my back.

"This works better if you open your eyes."

I opened my eyes. He looked more beautiful than I remembered. I lost all coordination in that moment, and I stumbled. Ranger bent and tightened his grip on me.

A smile emerged. "Walk much?"

"Carlos, what are you doing here?"

"I'd like to say that I came to wish my favorite lady a happy new year, but the truth is I'm here on business."

"Do you always bring your girlfriend with you on business?"

His eyes got dark, and he couldn't hold back his smile. "Why, Mrs. Morelli. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were jealous."

I didn't answer because he was right.

"Maria and I have known each other for years. I won't deny that she and I have satisfied each others needs from time to time, but we have an understanding."

"What the hell does that mean?"

He leaned to my ear and whispered. "She knows my heart will always belong to another."

I backed away. "Why do you do this to me?"

"Do what?"

"You. You can't just show up when my life is going perfectly and screw it up!"

"I'm not trying to screw it up. I just wanted a dance with you before midnight."

I did the only thing I could do. I fled. I rushed to Tank. "Take me home."

"Now?"

"Now!" I screeched.

"But it's almost midnight."

"So, who are you going to kiss? Cal? Because you are certainly not going to kiss Lula!"

"Fine. Let me at least say good-bye to the guys."

"I'll get my coat." I stormed off to the coat room at the front of the restaurant.

No sooner had I entered the coatroom and began searching the rack full of coats, when I heard the door gently close. I looked up, and there was a man I didn't recognize.

"Who are you?" I asked warily.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just a messenger."

"What kind of messenger?"

"Is your name Stephanie?"

"Yes."

"A man on the street said he'd pay me a hundred dollars if I delivered this envelope to you."

"How did you know who I was?"

"He said you'd be here and that you were pregnant and—pretty. And he gave me this picture of you." He produced a photograph of me and cautiously laid the manila envelope on the desk in the room. "Look, I don't want no trouble."

Suddenly, the handle jiggled. "Stephanie?" It was Tank's voice.

I panicked. "_Tank, help me! There's a man in here_," I screamed.

Tank slammed into the door, and the door jam crumbled. Tank fell into the room. The man took the opportunity to run out of the door.

"You okay?" Tank asked.

"Yes!"

Tank sprang to his feet and took off after the man. The baby started to kick. I was at a loss as to what to do. I'd been threatened plenty of times, but this was different. I had a baby to think about. Suddenly, Ranger appeared in the doorway. He stepped quickly into the room and approached me.

"Babe, are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to give me an envelope. It's right there."

Ranger picked up the envelope. "Do you want to open it or should I?"

I took the envelope from him. "I'll do it."

I opened the clasp on the envelope and looked inside. There were pictures and a folded letter. I pulled out the first picture. It made me gasp. I was a photo-shopped picture of me and Richard Kaiser walking down the aisle. Someone had obviously taken the picture of me and Joe on our wedding, and he put his own head on the body. The next picture was of Joe. I dropped it and recoiled when I saw it. "No!" I cried out.

Ranger picked up the picture and stared at it. He looked very serious as he assessed the picture of Joe lying broken and bleeding on the sidewalk. "What's the letter say?"

I opened the letter and began to read it. "_He stole from me, and now he will pay. He's tracking her killer, but he is driving to his own death. I'm sorry about your new car. Happy New Year, my princess_."

Just as I finished reading it, the letter burst into flame. I dropped it to the floor and cringed in horror.

"He's going to kill him!" I cried.

Ranger looked concerned. "What did the letter say?"

"He said that Joe is driving to his own death, and then he said, "Sorry about your new car!"

"Call Morelli. Tell him to stay away from the car."

"Where are you going?"

"To pick up your husband."

"You don't know where he is!"

"He's using your car, right?"

"Seriously? You've already got a tracking device on my SUV?"

"My reasons are honorable."

"Just bring him back alive and in one piece, please?"

"Stay with some one you can trust."

"What about Hal or Cal?"

"I'm taking them with me."

"Well, there is a room full of cops out there."

"Pick one," he said as he turned to exit.

"I'll stick with Mattie!" I called out.

He didn't answer. I was alone in the room. I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. I dialed Joe, and it went directly to voicemail—like the phone had been shut off. I left a voice mail telling him to stay away from my car. I explained that Kaiser sent me a letter alluding that he was going to kill him. I was upset that he didn't answer. I sat for a moment and began to imagine the worst. "Damn it!" I cried out. I needed to get my mind off of the possibilities. I decided it would be best to heed Ranger's suggestion. I fled the room and made a beeline for Mattie. He was headed for the bar. I ran up behind him and grabbed his arm.

"Mattie!"

"Oh, hey, princess. I thought you took off."

"No. There's a problem. I need you."

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Kaiser's causing problems again."

"Kaiser? I thought he was in jail."

"He is, but that doesn't seem to stop him from getting his henchmen to do his dirty work. He sent me a letter saying that he's going to take out Joe."

"Where is Joe?"

"He's at the Regency Hotel. That's where the murder is."

Mattie looked confused. "You got a letter from that slimebag, and Morelli left you here alone?"

"The letter came to me after Joe left. It said that Joe is driving to his death."

"Where is this letter?"

"It burned up in my hands. Ranger took his guys and is trying to get to Joe before it's too late. He told me to stick with you."

At that moment, Pete sauntered up.

"You two look intense. This is supposed to be a party!"

Mattie pulled me close to him. "Yeah, she's not feeling well. I'm going to take her home."

"I can take her you want. I was just leaving anyway."

"What about Lula?" I asked.

"Eh, she's having fun. I'm not feeling very festive anymore. She told me she'd catch a ride with Connie."

"Really, she doesn't want to kiss you at midnight?"

"We have a lifetime to kiss. Do you want a ride or not?"

"Um, sure, if Mattie wants to stay."

"It's settled then. I'll take you."

"Maybe it's best. I don't want Morelli getting all pissy because I took you home," Mattie replied.

"Okay."

I walked outside with Pete to his car. It was a burgundy Corvette. I stopped short.

"You drive a Corvette?"

He shrugged. "It's a loaner. My car's in the shop." He pulled the door open and held it for me.

I stepped back. "I think I'm going to stay a while. Joe might come back. I wouldn't want to miss him."

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to hurt you."

I turned and began to walk quickly back to the restaurant. Pete ran quickly to get in front of me and stopped my forward momentum.

"I wanted to talk to you about Lula," he explained.

"We can talk another time. Call me."

I tried to step around him, and he grabbed me by the wrist.

"Let go of me!"

Suddenly, Mattie appeared out of nowhere. "Leave her alone!" he yelled as he shoved Pete backward.

"What is your problem?" Pete yelled back.

"I spoke to your fiancée. She didn't even know you were leaving."

"He's driving Kaiser's car!" I pointed out.

"What?" Mattie replied as he turned to me.

"You are both fucking crazy. I'm outta here," Pete replied. He turned and jumped into the car and sped off.

"Are you okay?" Mattie asked.

"Yes. I think he was trying to kidnap me."

"Why?"

"I think he's working for Kaiser."

Suddenly my phone rang. "Hey, cupcake."

"Joe!"

"I got your message. Ranger rolled up as I was coming out of the building. He told me about the note. Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, but I think Lula's fiancé isn't who he says he is?"

"You mean he really is gay?"

"I mean I think he tried to kidnap me tonight. I think he's working for Kaiser."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm still at the restaurant. Mattie came out and scared him away."

"Stay put, sweetheart. I'll see if I can put out an APB on the car."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Arrest him."

"For what?"

"Kidnapping."

"He never actually said he was trying to kidnap me. He was supposed to drive me home, but when I saw the car, I panicked. He asked me why I was afraid and said that he just wanted to talk to me about Lula."

"Did he try to force you into the car?"

"He grabbed my wrist, but he didn't exactly drag me to the car. That's when Mattie came out."

"Where's Lula in all this?"

"I don't know. Inside, I guess. How's my car?"

"It's still in one piece. The bomb squad is giving it the once over."

"Are you coming to me or should I have Mattie take me home?"

"Stay there with Mattie. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Joe?"

"Yes."

"Be careful."

"You, too."

Mattie and I entered the building. Lula made a beeline for us. "I thought Pete took you home?"

"Yeah, that didn't happen. I don't think Pete is really who he says he is."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think he is one of Kaiser's henchmen."

"What? No way. Have you been drinking?"

"He just tried to kidnap me."

"No, he didn't," Lula stated emphatically.

"Lula, think about it. If he was in love with you, would he have left you here on New Year's Eve?"

"But Mattie said you didn't feel good, and he was driving you home."

At that moment, my phone rang. It was Joe, I picked it up quickly.

"Please, don't tell me the car blew up."

"No, Sweetheart. It's Tank."

"What about Tank?"

"He's been shot."


End file.
